The Threat of Loss
The room seemed to tilt, and I gripped the arms of my chair to steady myself. I protested that it was impossible; we had a ceremony, witnesses, and nearly three decades together.
“I understand,” he replied gently. “But without that legal documentation, in the eyes of the law, you were cohabitating partners. Not spouses. And your husband died intestate, without a will. That means his estate goes to his next of kin under state law”.
When I desperately claimed to be his next of kin as his wife and the mother of his children, the lawyer slowly shook his head. “His parents are deceased, but he has a brother in Oregon and several cousins. They’re his legal heirs. Actually, you have two weeks to vacate the house. It’s part of the estate that will be liquidated and distributed among them”.
My knees felt like they were giving out, even though I was already seated. The house we had renovated together over twenty years, the savings account we had built for the kids’ college funds, and even the car in the driveway—it was all going to be gone.
