The unexpected journey of Sally’s house

Sally had it all figured out—she’d worked hard, bought her dream house, and wrote a Will that left everything to her nephew, David. Then, love came knocking in the form of Greg: a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and a teenage son, Jake, who called her “Ma’am” for the first three months.

When Sally and Greg tied the knot, updating her Will was right there on her to-do list, somewhere between “sort the junk drawer” and “repaint the spare bedroom.” But as it often does, life got in the way. They had happy years together, spent too much money on garden furniture, and raised Jake, who eventually started calling her “Mum” when he needed cash.

Sally never got around to updating her Will. Why rush? She had decades ahead of her—or so she thought.

The plot twist

When Sally passed away unexpectedly, Greg was heartbroken. Jake was heartbroken. Even the garden gnome they’d named Sir Sprinklefizz looked a little droopy. But Sally’s outdated Will? That was the beginning of a whole new chapter.

Because Sally had married Greg, her Will was automatically revoked. With no valid Will in place, her estate—including her beloved house—fell under intestacy rules. Greg inherited everything, and Jake... well, Jake inherited a lifetime of saying, “It’s fine,” while secretly seething.

The rebound wife enters stage left

A few years later, Greg met Linda. Linda loved Greg, hated the gnome, and wasted no time “making the house her own.” Greg, in his lovestruck state, updated his Will to leave everything to Linda. Jake’s inheritance? Still sitting comfortably at zero.

When Greg passed away, Linda moved in, redecorated, and added a hot tub. Jake wasn’t invited over often—turns out Linda wasn’t a fan of stepsons who “linger too much” in her new living room. Sally’s dream home, the one she’d imagined Jake growing up in, was now Linda’s palace of scented candles and Instagram-worthy brunches.

The moral of the story

Sally didn’t mean for this to happen. She loved Jake like her own and would’ve wanted him to have her house, her gnome, and her garden full of regrets. But by not updating her Will after marrying Greg, she inadvertently set off a chain reaction that left Jake out in the cold.

It’s a harsh reminder that life changes—marriages, births, deaths—should be followed by a swift update to your Will. Otherwise, you’re rolling the dice and letting the law decide who gets what.

Don’t let your legacy become Linda’s jacuzzi. Life’s too short—write a Will.