My Best Friend Stole My Dead Mother’s Baby Name. So I Stole Her Husband’s Family Legacy And A $200,000 Trust Fund. Did I Go Too Far?

Public Spectacle

The next week, my phone completely exploded with messages from our mutual friends. Half of them thought I was a genius for the Margaret Rose move, sending laughing emojis and saying Jenna had it coming. The other half thought I’d gone way too far—that revenge was one thing, but involving Ryan’s whole family and a trust fund was crossing a line.

Everyone wanted details about how much money was in the trust and whether Diane knew I’d done this on purpose. I realized pretty quickly that our private revenge situation had turned into public entertainment for our entire friend group, with people taking sides and gossiping about it like we were characters in a show. It made me feel sick in a way I couldn’t quite explain to Dean when he asked why I kept staring at my phone with that look on my face.

Then Jenna’s sister messaged me, asking if we could talk, saying Jenna was really struggling and their family was getting worried about possible postpartum depression. I stared at that message for like 20 minutes before responding that I’d meet her for coffee. I told myself I wasn’t a complete monster, that I could at least hear her out, even though I was still angry about everything Jenna had done.

We met at a coffee shop halfway between our houses, and Jenna’s sister didn’t waste any time getting to the point. She explained that Jenna was crying all the time, wouldn’t go to any family events with Ryan anymore, and kept apologizing to him about the whole name thing even though it was too late to change it.

She asked if there was any way to fix this situation, and I honestly didn’t know what to tell her. I sat there stirring my coffee and trying to figure out what fixing it would even look like at this point. Because Maggie’s name was Maggie’s name, and the trust fund was already set up.

Jenna’s sister left after about 30 minutes, looking disappointed that I didn’t have any answers for her. I drove home feeling more confused than ever about whether I’d actually won anything.

Seeking Clarity

The hollow feeling in my chest got worse over the next few days until I finally told Dean I thought I needed to talk to someone professional about all this. He found a therapist named Adriana Moses who had good reviews and could see me pretty quickly.

I went to my first appointment not really sure what I was supposed to say, but Adriana made it easy by just asking me to tell her what brought me in. I explained the whole thing—from Jenna taking Celeste, to me choosing Margaret Rose, to the trust fund announcement. Adriana listened without judging or telling me I was right or wrong.

At my second session, she asked me what I’d actually wanted from this whole situation. I had to think about it for a while. I realized I’d wanted Jenna to understand how much she’d hurt me, to really get what it felt like to have something precious stolen. But sitting there in Adriana’s office, I had to admit that understanding and public humiliation weren’t the same thing, and maybe I’d gone further than I needed to.

The satisfaction I’d expected from the revenge just wasn’t showing up. Instead, I kept replaying that moment of Jenna crying in the driveway, wondering if I’d become the villain in someone else’s story instead of the hero in mine.

Thanksgiving Tradition

Then Diane called again to invite us to Thanksgiving, making it really clear that this was a Margaret Rose family tradition and Maggie needed to be there. Dean asked if I wanted to decline to avoid more drama with Jenna, but I couldn’t bring myself to say no.

Diane’s affection for Maggie was genuine and real, not fake or manipulative, and rejecting that felt wrong. Even though I knew it would hurt Jenna to see us there. I told Dean we’d go to Thanksgiving and just deal with whatever happened, even though my stomach twisted just thinking about it.

Thanksgiving at Diane’s house turned out exactly as uncomfortable as I expected. Dean and I arrived right on time with Maggie dressed in a little turkey outfit that Diane had specifically requested we bring her in. The house smelled like roasting turkey and pie, and Diane practically snatched Maggie from my arms the second we walked through the door, cooing about her precious Margaret Rose and how she needed to show her off to everyone.

Ryan’s extended family filled the living room and dining room. Aunts and uncles and cousins I’d met at previous gatherings, and they all made a fuss over Maggie like she was the guest of honor. Diane had even set up a special high chair decorated with a banner that said “Our Little Margaret Rose” in fancy letters.

I caught Dean giving me a look that said this was way more intense than either of us anticipated, but we went along with it because Diane’s excitement felt genuine, even if the situation was weird.