PART 1

I was a penniless widow living in the state-funded section of our nursing home. When the wealthy widower everyone admired asked me to marry him so his greedy children could not control the final chapter of his life, I accepted. After he was laid to rest, his attorney placed an envelope in my hands that changed everything.

A bitter wind rattled the fragile windows of the state-funded wing.

The old radiator hissed constantly, though it barely gave off any heat.

I sat beside the window in my small shared room, watching the neatly landscaped courtyard leading toward the elegant penthouse suites reserved for the wealthy residents.