I have a system.
Your system is dying under office furniture.
He painfully reminded me of Michael.
Three months after Michael’s death, his lawyer read the will. The house and savings were mine, while investments were split between the children and me.
Then Mr. Harris asked Ethan to stay.
I figured Michael had left him something.
I was wrong.
Months later, while Ethan was helping Sophie with homework, I finally said:
Michael asked me to marry you.
To find out what happened next, check out the comments below 
The wrench slipped from his hand.s
What?
Before I died.
Ethan paled.
“He asked me too.
When?
A few weeks before he died. He told me that eventually, if you were willing, I should marry you.
Why?
He said he trusted me.s
The answer was not enough, but I did not insist.
Over the next few months, Ethan became part of our family. Finally, we decided to get married.
The week before the wedding, he tried to tell me something.
Claire, I have to tell you something.
Before I could finish, Sophie ran into the kitchen.
He never tried again.
He must have done it.
Our wedding was small. But Ethan seemed miserable throughout the ceremony.
That night, I found him crying over our bed.
“You have no idea who you really married,” he whispered.
“What happened?”
Michael should have told you.
The next morning, Ethan was sitting at the kitchen table with a folded document.
“You need to know why he really asked us to do this.
The document had to do with Michael’s company.
After Michael’s death, Ethan had temporarily received control of the company’s voting rights. Our marriage made that control permanent.
Have you been running Michael’s company this whole time?
“Yes.
“And marrying me guaranteed that no one could take that control from you?”
“Yes.
I felt sick.
You married me for his company.
“No.
But I still left.
The next morning, I went to Mr. Harris’ office.
“I want to know everything,” I said. All about the actions of Michael, Ethan and the condition of marriage.
Mr. Harris explained that Ethan did control the voting rights, but he could not sell or transfer the shares or touch the main capital. The proceeds belonged to trusts destined for the children and me.
