My Nanna (91) passed away in October 2024. She had been married to my step-grandad (89) since the late ‘80s after her first marriage. Both my mother and uncle (her children) are deceased, leaving only my two siblings and me as her closest family. My step-grandad has been estranged from his own children for decades, so we’ve essentially been his only family for over 30 years.
He has a long history of infidelity before they were married, though he and my Nanna appeared to love each other. In her later years, as her mobility declined, he would frequently take long trips away, claiming to visit a "godson" no one had ever met. He’d disappear on weekends, leaving her to be cared for by neighbors and local carers, only returning days later. We’d often find out after worried neighbors called, saying she’d been left alone between care visits.
Two years ago, I accidentally received a romantic text from him meant for someone else (we share the same first initial). That’s when I realised he had been seeing another woman. I was disgusted, but I chose to focus on supporting my Nanna—I couldn’t bring myself to tell a frail old woman that her husband was cheating.
After she passed, my step-grandad played the grieving widow, insisting on being the last person in the crematorium and soaking up all the attention. But by Boxing Day 2024—barely two months later—he had moved this woman into their home. I found out from neighbours who saw a van unloading her furniture and belongings.
She is 21 years younger, has left behind her three children and six grandchildren, and previously lived in a housing association home over three hours away. They met 7 years ago at a reunion. In their small, close-knit community, my step-grandad introduced her as his "carer," but the neighbors figured out the truth quickly. So now, a stranger is living in my Nanna’s home, less than six months after her death.
Since my Nanna and step-grandad had a joint will, he inherited everything—the house, pensions, and savings. My Nanna’s only specific request was that I receive her jewellery.
When I heard about him moving her in, I asked to meet them. I wanted to get a better sense of the situation, meet this woman, and discuss the rest of my Nanna’s belongings—including the will. My Nanna and step-grandad had always intended for my siblings and me to inherit. Their joint will stated that after both their deaths, everything would pass to us. For years, I was even named as executor.
At the meeting, my step-grandad showed up with six boxes of my Nanna’s belongings- family photos, wedding pictures, and anything that had been hers—making it clear he was starting fresh.
Then, they dropped a bombshell: they are getting married—less than six months after my Nanna’s death. They even handed me an invite, which we immediately declined.
I asked about the will and how inheritance would now work since marriage invalidates any previous wills. My step-grandad avoided eye contact, got incredibly shifty, and said he "told" his new wife-to-be to leave us half the house after she dies. But there’s zero legal guarantee of this. Realistically, everything will now go to her, and we will be left with nothing—all dependent on the goodwill of a woman who had no problem moving into my Nanna’s home just months after she died.
I am devastated. My Nanna worked hard for that home and everything in it, and now a complete stranger is benefiting from it while we get nothing. Legally, we have no claim, but morally, this feels so wrong.
I guess I’m asking: what do I do? Do I keep a civil relationship in hopes of securing some kind of inheritance in the future, or do I just walk away?