Mr. Alvarez slid the first documents aside and opened a thick cream envelope. “This is a trust signed in September, witnessed and notarized,” he said. “Rose Delgado asked that it be read only after the old will.” My mother laughed too loudly. “Impossible. I handled all her paperwork.” He finally looked up. “That is exactly why she never told you.” Then he pressed a button, and a screen in the corner flickered on.

Grandma Rose appeared, pale in her hospital bed, her eyes still sharp. “Colette, if you are watching this, you did exactly what I feared.” My mother’s nails dug into her chair. Rose turned and smiled at me. “Hannah, my love, hear what your mother did to us.” Behind me, the door opened, and a nurse stepped inside holding a small wooden box.