Son Reads Will His Father Left Lying Around – It Destroys Their Family

An unexpected bomb drops on a family and destroys a once-united nest forever after a son accidentally finds the will his dad prepared.

Despite cutting off his ex-wife from his life, a dad allowed his oldest son to continue his maternal relationship with her. However, he was unaware of how this conscious decision would soon spark an inheritance war in the family.

Redditor Crenetic loved all his three sons, aged 29, 24, and 22, equally. He worked hard to strengthen their future, but if there was something that bothered him, it would be his ex-wife’s intolerable interference in his family affairs.

The Original Poster (OP) remarried another woman after divorcing his ex-wife. OP and his new spouse decided to completely cut off the ex-wife due to constant financial and emotional exploitation.

However, they mutually decided to let OP’s eldest son cherish his relationship with his mother. Though they never interfered in their mother-son bond, at some point, the ex grabbed any chance she got to complicate OP’s life.

The dad never lost his composure because he wanted to maintain peace. He’d lost almost everything when he divorced his ex-wife and started from scratch with his new partner. All his sons worked in their family business, and things seemed well off until the day OP’s son read the draft of his will which was lying around on his office desk.

That day, OP’s kids were home for lunch as usual. He didn’t guess anything until he sensed a drastic change in his older son’s attitude.

He claimed his wife couldn’t get over the offensive slurs his son addressed to her.

The son stormed downstairs, threw things around, and his behavior crossed all bounds. He yelled at OP’s wife in obscene language, and soon, all the three sons got into an ugly fistfight.

OP was devastated on seeing his nest fall apart over the inheritance. It turned out that OP had willed his company and house to his two younger sons while his oldest son was granted a trust that paid out a stipulated amount of money every five years.

It wasn’t an overnight decision as the dad had his reasons. Since his ex-wife still influenced his oldest son, OP thought it was best to prepare the will based on his lawyer’s suggestion. Moreover, he didn’t want his ex to access his business and home through their son.

The dad had intended to modify the will so that all his three sons inherited equally if his ex-wife passed away before him. OP tried explaining this to his son, but he turned a deaf ear and spread illicit rumors about his dad and his brothers in the family. Meanwhile, OP’s ex manipulated their fallout in her favor. She posted fabricated stories on social media.

OP was furious and even considered legal action against her, but he feared this would fuel his son’s temper. Instead, he posted his harrowing experience on Reddit, citing, “I don’t know how to fix this.”

After reading his post, some people argued in the son’s favor, claiming it could’ve crushed him on finding out he never got the same inheritance as his younger brothers. One Redditor found OP’s situation relatable and said:

“My stepdad married my mom when I was seven. My mom and stepdad then had a son, my little brother...Growing up, my dad would take my brother and me to Ohio to see my dad’s side of the family.”

The Redditor visited his stepdad’s family every year for 12 years. However, he was crushed on knowing his younger stepbrother got a lumpsum amount after his grandfather died while he got nothing.

“That hurt more than anything in my entire life... It’s not about the money...It was the fact that my grandfather evidently loved my little brother more than me, and I didn’t even find out until after he was gone,” the person recounted.

Meanwhile, some people suggested OP hire a lawyer before it was too late. Among them was user 1127pilot, who offered OP some insight on what he could do best to reverse the damage due to the ongoing inheritance war in his family.

“There is definitely a more elegant way to combine trusts, trustees and successor trustees, and voting and nonvoting shares to create a structure where the sons are in control, but that control doesn’t pass to heirs. This needs a serious lawyer,” the user advised.

Meanwhile, OP concluded that he was unsure of pulling himself together after his son accused him and his wife. He claimed his wife couldn’t get over the offensive slurs his son addressed to her, though she said she was alright.

OP was upset with his son for refusing to listen to his justification, though he tried explaining the reasons that led him to prepare the will that way. His son refused to take his calls, and their ruined relationship is now left to heal with time.

Questions to Ponder:

Is OP's decision to protect his property from his ex-wife by controlling his eldest son's access to it through his will justified?

OP explained his main reason for the stipulations in his will concerning his oldest son's inheritance was to ensure his ex-wife cannot lay claim to his business and property. Do you think OP could have found another way to do this? If you were in OP's shoes, would you have done the same?

OP planned to modify the will if his ex-wife passed away before him. Do you think it’ll heal his damaged relationship with his son?

The will damaged OP's relationship with his son. OP intends to modify this will to prove to his son that he was in no way biased against him. Should the time come when OP finally fixes his will in his son's favor, would the son find it in him to forgive his father and heal their relationship?

If you enjoyed reading this story, then you might want to read this one about how a woman worked three jobs to make ends meet while her mother looted her inheritance.

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