Kate inherited an old wreck of a car from her grandmother…

The autumn wind howled through the cemetery, sharp and unforgiving, tugging at the yellowed leaves that clung desperately to gnarled trees. Katie stood alone, her thin coat offering little protection against the chill that seeped into her bones. Her eyes, red from crying, followed the slow descent of her grandmother Maria’s coffin into the cold earth.

Each tear that fell seemed to freeze on her cheeks, leaving a prickling sting that mirrored the ache in her heart. Maria had been more than a grandmother. She’d been Katie’s anchor, her guide, her confidant, filling the roles of mother, father, and best friend.

Now, with her gone, the world felt vast and empty, and Katie was adrift, a solitary figure in a sea of grief. Across the cemetery, her sister Lena stood like a shadow from another life, tall, poised, her elegant black suit impeccable against the somber backdrop. She looked less like a grieving granddaughter and more like a corporate executive, her presence polished and detached.

Lena had left their small provincial town years ago, chasing ambition in a distant city where she’d carved out a glittering career. Her visits home had dwindled to rare, fleeting appearances, each one underscoring the growing distance between the sisters. Lena was fire and drive, always reaching for the next rung on the ladder of success.

Katie was quiet, introspective, content with the simple rhythms of life. Their differences had once been a source of playful teasing, but now they formed a chasm, deep and unbridgeable, as cold as the autumn air around them. As the sparse crowd of mourners began to disperse, their footsteps crunching on the gravel path, Lena approached Katie.

Her eyes, sharp and unreadable, avoided Katie’s tear-streaked face, focusing instead on some distant point. I have to leave today, Lena said, her voice clipped, businesslike. Work’s piling up, you know how it is.

Katie nodded, her throat tight with emotion. I understand, she managed to whisper, though the words felt hollow. The will is being read tomorrow at the notary’s office, be there…