My Husband Called Me A “Worthless Incubator” And Left While I Was 6 Months Pregnant. Now He’s Back To Steal A $200k Inheritance Using My Name. How Do I Make Him Regret Every Single Day?

The Ultimatum

Monday morning my phone rang while I was doing laundry. Lydia’s name showed on the screen. She said Dave Solomon wanted to meet with both of us. Dave was the estate attorney handling Brett’s dad’s will. Apparently there was specific language in the will about the marriage requirement that might work in our favor even more than we thought.

She said Dave had some discretion as executive and wanted to discuss the situation. We scheduled the meeting for Wednesday afternoon. I arranged for Kaia to watch Haley. Brett texted asking what the meeting was about. I told him to ask his lawyer.

When Wednesday came I drove to Dave’s office downtown. Brett and Owen were already in the waiting room. Brett looked nervous. Owen looked calm and professional like always. The secretary led us to a conference room. Dave was older, maybe 60 with gray hair and reading glasses. He shook everyone’s hands and gestured for us to sit.

Dave opened a folder and pulled out several pages. He explained that Brett’s father had very specific requirements for the inheritance. Not just that Brett had to be married but that the marriage had to be stable and ongoing. The will mentioned demonstrating commitment to family. Words like responsibility and dedication appeared multiple times.

Dave looked at Brett and said the language suggested his father wanted to ensure Brett was a responsible family man before giving him access to that much money. Brett shifted in his chair. Dave continued reading sections of the will out loud. Every part emphasized family commitment and stability. Nothing about just being technically married on paper.

Dave set the papers down and looked directly at Brett. He said that as executive he had discretion to determine whether Brett actually met the requirements his father set out. That the will wasn’t just about marital status but about character and commitment.

Dave said he’d been doing research since Owen first contacted him. Found out about the separation and abandonment. About Haley being born while Brett was living with another woman. About 2 years of zero contact and zero support. Dave folded his hands on the table. He said given all that information he was inclined to rule that Brett didn’t qualify for the inheritance at all.

That abandoning a pregnant wife was the exact opposite of what his father intended when he wrote those requirements. Brett’s face went white. He started talking fast saying his father didn’t know about any separation. That they’d kept it private. That his dad died thinking everything was fine.

Dave cut him off. Said it didn’t matter what his father knew or didn’t know. What mattered was the intent behind the will. The requirements were clear: stable marriage, family commitment, responsibility. Brett had demonstrated none of those things.

Dave said the whole point was to make sure Brett was a good husband and father before giving him money. Walking out on a pregnant wife showed he was neither. I watched Brett’s whole plan collapse right in front of him. His face changed from white to red. His hands gripped the edge of the table.

Owen put a hand on his arm but Brett shook it off. He started arguing that this wasn’t fair. That his father would have wanted him to have the money. That Dave was interpreting the will wrong. Dave stayed calm. Said his interpretation was well within his authority as executive.

That if Brett wanted to challenge it he could take it to probate court but that would take months and cost tens of thousands in legal fees. Money Brett didn’t have. And even then a judge would likely agree that Brett’s actions showed a complete lack of family commitment.

Brett slumped back in his chair. I could see him doing the math. No inheritance, child support payments, legal fees. He’d end up with nothing or worse than nothing.

Dave suggested a compromise. Said Brett could still access the inheritance if he agreed to my terms and demonstrated genuine commitment to supporting Haley going forward. Not just signing papers but actually following through. Paying support on time. Being present in Haley’s life in a healthy way. Completing parenting classes.

Dave said this wasn’t about punishing Brett, it was about making sure he took responsibility like his father wanted. That the money would be released once Brett proved he was serious about being a father instead of just wanting cash.

Owen asked for a private conversation with Brett. They went to a smaller office down the hall. Through the glass door I could see Brett getting more and more worked up. His hands moved around, his face got red again. Owen stayed calm, probably explaining how badly Brett had messed up by trying to manipulate everything. How he’d backed himself into a corner with no good options.

They talked for maybe 15 minutes. When they came back Owen did the talking. He said Brett was willing to accept my original terms with one change. He wanted scheduled visitation with Haley once the divorce was final. Starting with supervised visits to build a relationship slowly. Gradually increasing time if things went well.

He said Brett understood he couldn’t just show up and be a father overnight. That he needed to earn Haley’s trust and prove himself. I looked at Lydia. She nodded slightly. I told them I’d consider supervised visitation only after Brett completed parenting classes and paid the first 6 months of child support upfront.

If he was serious about being a father he could prove it with actions, not promises. Not flowers or toys. Real actions that showed commitment. Brett looked at Owen. Owen looked at Dave. Dave said that sounded reasonable and would satisfy the will’s requirements if Brett followed through.

Brett closed his eyes for a second then nodded. Said “Fine he’d do it.”

Owen pulled out his laptop and started typing. Brett sat with his arms crossed staring at the table while the keys clicked. I watched Owen’s face as he worked through each section checking details with Dave and Lydia. The custody arrangement, the support payments, the inheritance split.

Every few minutes Owen would read a line out loud and Brett would nod without looking up. His whole body looked tight like he was holding himself together by force. Dave leaned over to review what Owen was writing and made a few suggestions about the language. Lydia did the same from my side her pen marking notes on her own copy.

The whole process took maybe 20 minutes but it felt longer. Nobody talked except to clarify legal terms. When Owen finished he printed four copies and passed them around the table. I read through mine carefully checking every word.

Full legal and physical custody to me. Two years of back child support calculated at Brett’s old salary which came out to way more than I expected. 40% of the $200,000 inheritance. A visitation schedule that started with supervised visits twice a month and could increase based on how things went with Haley. Brett had to complete parenting classes before any unsupervised time.

Lydia picked up her pen and added something at the bottom. She wrote that if Brett missed any child support payment or broke any part of the custody rules he’d lose all visitation rights forever and owe extra money as punishment. She showed it to Dave who nodded and added it to his copy. Owen read it and looked at Brett who just shrugged and looked away.

We all signed. My hand was steady when I wrote my name. Brett’s hand shook a little when he signed his. Dave collected the papers and said he’d hold the inheritance money until the divorce was final and Brett made his first support payment.

Brett pulled out his checkbook right there at the table. He wrote a check for 6 months of support his pen pressing hard into the paper. He ripped it out and handed it to me without making eye contact. I folded it and put it in my purse.

Walking out of Dave’s office I felt like I could breathe for the first time in months. The air outside was cool and the sun was starting to set.