Woman Named Sole Heir To Friend’s Properties And Now Estranged Daughter Is Back To Fight For What’s “Hers”
The woman who earned it through loyalty versus the daughter who demands it through blood.
When OP moved into her condo in 2018, she didn’t expect to gain a close friend next door.
Valorie lived beside her on the top floor, their balconies almost touching. Over time, their weekends fell into a gentle routine. Saturday mornings spent tending plants, talking about life, and enjoying the quiet company that comes with trust.
Valorie was a widow. She’d lost her husband years earlier and, from what OP understood, lived alone in the world. That wasn’t entirely true.
Eventually, Valorie shared that she had a daughter, Sam, but they had been estranged for decades. When Sam came out as gay shortly after high school, Valorie’s husband reacted harshly and cut her off completely.
Valorie never defended her daughter in that moment, something she later described as the biggest regret of her life.
For years, Valorie didn’t know how to fix what she had allowed to happen. With OP’s help, she finally tried. OP tracked Sam down online, helped Valorie write a long, heartfelt letter, and sent it. Sam saw the message. She never replied.
A month ago, OP came home to find Valorie had passed away on her balcony. An embolism. Sudden and final. OP notified Sam about the death and funeral arrangements, but Sam never attended.
OP assumed she would grieve, say goodbye, and eventually welcome a new neighbor.
She didn’t expect to learn she was the only person named in Valorie’s will.
Days later, Sam reached out. Angry. Accusatory. Claiming OP manipulated an elderly widow and demanding Valorie’s belongings.
Now OP is torn between honoring her friend’s final wishes and wondering if she should do something more for the daughter Valorie never reconciled with.
Scroll through the screenshots below to see how grief, inheritance, and unresolved family history collided.
Let’s dig into the details
Reddit.comThe original post
Reddit.comOP explained that Valorie had a daughter (Sam), who was kicked out by Garry for coming out as gay. This happened in the early 2000’s and Valerie hadn’t heard from Sam ever since
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OP tracked down Sam and helped Valerie draft a heartfelt message to see if they could build a relationship again. Unfortunately, Sam read the message but never responded
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One day, OP returned from work to find out that Valerie had passed away. She decided to inform Sam about the funeral, but Sam didn’t attend. Shortly after, OP was surprised to find out that she was made the sole heir to Valeries properties
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Recently, Sam reached out to OP, claiming that she had taken advantage of her mom. She also demanded that OP transfer her mom’s things to her
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Despite OP being upset at Sam’s accusation, she has been wondering if she should give Sam a piece of the inheritance
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OP returned with an important Update
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Timeline of events
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Clarifying some things:
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OP decided to speak to a different lawyer for advice, especially since Sam has been sending more harsh messages
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OP is considering giving Sam only sentimental items
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OP got permission to start cleaning out Valerie’s condo
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OP says that she didn’t know Valerie as a bigot, but someone who was supportive to all people, regardless of their se*uality
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From OP’s explanation, Valerie’s letter was more than enough to explain herself to Sam. But seems Sam was not interested in building a relationship
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Final bit of the first update
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OP returned with a new update: The new lawyer agreed to be the middleman between both OP and Sam
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Interestingly, Sam was contacted by the probate attorneys about the will when Valerie passed away. At that time, she had the right to contest it, but made it clear that she wants nothing
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OP’s new lawyer also informed her that even if Sam had decided to contest the will at that time, the chances of getting a ruling in her favor would have been very difficult
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OP is now waiting to hear back from Sam
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We gathered some interesting comments from the Reddit community
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This Redditor experienced something similar years ago
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“Valorie was just a bad person, just like Garry. You decide how closely you want to follow her wishes & enrich yourself by hurting Sam once again.”
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“She disowned her child for being gay, and the full extent of her trying to make amends was a Facebook message. C'mon”
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“You have absolutely no character. YTA by a country mile. Sam is completely right about you.”
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“NTA. Valorie included only you in her will, not anyone else . So basically now it's up to you what you want to do with it.”
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“If Sam gets a lawyer don’t be surprised if the courts decide she has a claim to a share of her mother’s estate”
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“You could offer the daughter pictures and other sentimental items, but if she only seems interested in items of value.”
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OP followed Valorie’s wishes exactly as they were written, while Sam is confronting years of abandonment and unanswered pain.
Valorie had time, opportunity, and legal support to include her daughter if she wanted to. At the same time, loss has a way of reopening wounds that never healed.
The question here isn’t only about ownership, but about responsibility after someone is gone.
What do you think OP owes, if anything, beyond honoring the will? Share your thoughts in the comments.
