At His Funeral, I Gave It All to His Mistress and Their Child

“You just left us! How are my son and I supposed to survive?” Xena clung to James’s coffin, sobbing uncontrollably, her eyes red and swollen.

Beside her, Charlie, a boy around seven or eight years old, wailed just as loudly, crying out, “Daddy!”

Relatives, coworkers, and other onlookers exchanged knowing glances, some barely suppressing smirks at the dramatic scene unfolding before them.

Before I could say anything, Mia shoved Charlie away. “Get lost! That’s my dad! Don’t call him that!”

Charlie scrambled to his feet and glared at her. “Who do you think you are? I’m his only son!”

Then, without warning, he pounced on her, scratching her face until it turned red.

When I saw this, fury boiled inside me. I moved to step in, but my mother-in-law, Sally Lincoln, pulled me back and hurried toward the children.

She hurriedly separated the two children, her face full of concern as she immediately checked Charlie for any injuries.

Mia, refusing to back down, cried out desperately for James.

Sally’s expression turned cold and vicious as she glared at Mia. With a sharp slap, she knocked her to the ground.

“Why are you crying? You worthless little thing! Your father died because of you!”

Mia’s eyes reddened with anger. She lunged forward and bit Sally’s hand hard.

“Ow! Get off me, you little brat!”

Seeing Sally bitten, Charlie rushed over and kicked Mia in the stomach.

Mia let out a piercing scream and collapsed to the floor, lying limp and motionless.

It all happened so fast. By the time I reacted, I was already cradling Mia in my arms.

But Charlie wasn’t done. He glared at me, punching and kicking. “You’re the bad woman who stole my dad from my mom! You shameless tramp!”

Shock coursed through me. I looked up and saw Xena grinning smugly through the crowd.

Pain shot through me as Charlie’s kicks landed. I raised my hand to stop him, but before I could, Xena charged at me, shoving me down as she shielded the boy.

“Lia, blame me all you want, but don’t hit the child!”

“Your child hit mine first!” I shot back.

Sally approached, her tone dripping with mockery. “Why make such a fuss over kids fighting? Can’t you let it go?

“It’s James’s funeral today. Do you have to make a scene and embarrass everyone?

“When he married you, I was against it from the start. You brought nothing good to his life when he was alive, and now you won’t even let him rest in peace. You wicked woman!”

When James married me, he had nothing to his name. Afterward, his entire family moved into the house my parents had bought for me, shamelessly taking over.

I treated them kindly for the sake of family harmony, but now, here they were, accusing me at the funeral.

The only one who seemed reasonable was my father-in-law, Steven Lincoln, who scolded Sally lightly before helping me and Mia to our feet.

I barely had time to thank him before he gave me a kind smile and said, “I’ve seen everything you’ve done for this family over the years. Now it’s time for you to show one last act of devotion to James.”

A sense of unease washed over me. I pulled my hand back and cautiously asked, “What do you mean?”

He produced a pen and a piece of paper, holding them out to me. “James only has one son, Charlie. The family name can’t end here. I hope you’ll give up your share of the inheritance and the house to support his widow and child.”