Daniel explained it could help settle questions about document access and inheritance without the cost of a long court battle, as long as everyone brought records and the discussion stayed on track.

Lucas agreed to go, but only if I quit answering every question for him.

“That’s fair,” I told him.

At the meeting Patrick showed up with a lawyer and a folder thick enough to imply certainty.

He didn’t look at Lucas as he took his seat.

The mediator set out the ground rules: no one would decide facts without documents, no one would be pushed into signing anything that day, and Lucas could take a break any time he needed.

Patrick went first.