A Boy Visited the Grave of His Adoptive Mother He Resented in Life, and Found an Envelope with His Name on It

13-year-old Stuart built walls around his heart, refusing to accept his adoptive mother’s love. His resentment for her followed her to the grave. One day, he found an envelope addressed to him on her tomb, bearing a truth that shattered his heart and brought him to tears.

The linoleum floor of the children’s shelter squeaked beneath five-year-old Stuart’s worn sneakers. His small fingers clutched a worn teddy bear, its fur matted and faded like a shield against the world’s indifference.

All the other children played joyfully in the background, but Stuart remained isolated. The surrounding joy and laughter felt like sandpaper on an open wound. He saw himself as “unwanted” and resigned himself to a life of loneliness.

A sad little boy holding a teddy bear | Source: Midjourney

A sad little boy holding a teddy bear | Source: Midjourney

His eyes, deep and weary for such a young soul, had seen too much. Countless potential couples had come and gone, but nobody showed any particular interest in adopting him. Either because he was too gloomy and shy, or perhaps because he simply didn’t fit the mold of the ideal adoptive child.

Then one day, a woman named Jennifer arrived at the shelter, and she was immediately drawn to Stuart. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him. She saw more than just a child. She saw a spirit wounded, and a heart waiting to be understood.

Her life had been a series of challenges: late-night shifts, financial struggles, and the weight of being alone. But something about this boy spoke to her in a language beyond words.

A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney

A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney

“Hi there,” she said gently, her voice soft as a whisper, careful not to startle him.

Stuart’s head jerked up, his body tensing. He thought it was going to be another potential disappointment. And another moment of hope about to be crushed.

He’d learned to read adults, their fake smiles, and their rehearsed kindness. His teddy bear pressed tightly against his chest, his only true companion.

“Are you another person who’s just going to look at me and then leave?” Stuart’s voice was small like a fragile growl from a wounded cub.

A sad little boy looking up | Source: Midjourney

A sad little boy looking up | Source: Midjourney

Jennifer’s heart broke. She knelt down, moving slowly, understanding that sudden movements could shatter this delicate moment.

“No, not at all, sweetie. I’m Jennifer. And I promise you, I’m not here to just look and leave.”

Stuart’s eyes — those enormous, skeptical eyes — studied her. Years of disappointment had taught him that promises meant nothing.

“Would you like to come home with me?” Jennifer asked, her hand hovering just inches from his, respecting his space.

A battle raged in Stuart’s small heart. Hope versus abandonment. Trust versus heartbreak.

Close-up shot of a compassionate woman extending her hand | Source: Midjourney

Close-up shot of a compassionate woman extending her hand | Source: Midjourney

“You really want me?” he whispered, tears threatening to spill. “Everybody says I’m a gloomy kid.”

At that moment, Jennifer saw beyond the frightened child. She saw a soul desperate to be loved and belong.

“More than anything in this world,” she replied, her eyes glistening. “More than you could ever know.”

Little did Stuart know that Jennifer wanted him more than he could ever imagine… not just as an adopted child, but as the very heartbeat of her existence.

The teddy bear seemed to squeeze a little less tightly now. A tiny, almost imperceptible crack appeared in Stuart’s protective wall.

A sad little boy with his eyes downcast | Source: Midjourney

A sad little boy with his eyes downcast | Source: Midjourney

Hope, fragile and trembling, began to take root. The adoption was finalized, and Stuart finally found a loving home. However, he refused to accept Jennifer as his mother, building a fort of reluctance around his heart.

She was hurt by his resistance. He wouldn’t even call her “Mom.” Just Jennifer. She hoped that time would heal the wounds.

But the years rolled by like a turbulent river, each moment a test of Jennifer’s love and Stuart’s wounded heart. The shield of isolation the boy had built in the children’s shelter grew taller and more fortified with each passing year.

A boy looking out the window | Source: Midjourney

A boy looking out the window | Source: Midjourney

But Jennifer didn’t give up, and she kept trying, hoping for a miracle.

Homework night was always a battlefield.

“I don’t need your help!” Stuart would argue. His backpack would sail across the room, folders and papers scattering like fallen leaves.

Jennifer remained calm, her hands steady as she collected the fallen papers. “I’m just trying to help you, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that!” Stuart’s eyes would blaze. “My real mother would have understood me. She would have known exactly what I needed without me having to explain! You’re NOT my REAL mother.”

The words were a knife, but Jennifer’s love was stronger than the boy’s hatred. She knew each harsh word was another layer of his protection, and another attempt to push away the love he desperately needed but was terrified to accept.

A heartbroken woman | Source: Midjourney

A heartbroken woman | Source: Midjourney

“Your algebra looks challenging,” she said one day, picking up a crumpled worksheet. “Want to talk about it?”

“No!” Stuart, now ten, turned away, his small shoulders rigid with ignorance. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re not—”

“Not your real mom,” Jennifer finished his sentence, a sad smile touching her lips. “I know.”

But her eyes told a different story. Each word he threw was a fragment of a heart trying to protect itself, a child desperate to believe he was unlovable because loving meant risking abandonment again.

A frustrated boy | Source: Midjourney

A frustrated boy | Source: Midjourney

Later that night, Jennifer sat on the edge of Stuart’s bed. He pretended to be asleep, but she knew better. Her hand hovered over his back, not touching, but close enough to offer comfort.

“I might not be your real mother,” she whispered, “but my love for you is as real as any love can be.”

Stuart’s breath hitched just for a moment.

“Go away,” he mumbled, but there was less anger now. But more hurt. And more vulnerability.

Jennifer’s hurt burned within her. How she wanted to pull him into a hug. How she wanted to explain that her love ran deeper than he could possibly understand. But fear held her back. The fear of losing him forever.

“I’ll always be here,” she said softly before leaving the room. “Always.”

A portrait of an emotional woman | Source: Midjourney

A portrait of an emotional woman | Source: Midjourney

In the darkness, Stuart clutched his old teddy bear — the one from the shelter. The one Jennifer had carefully preserved all these years. A silent witness to a love more complicated than either of them could comprehend.

The night absorbed their unspoken emotions… the love, the pain, and the desperate need to connect yet fear of being lost.

Years fleeted by like leaves on the breeze. Then one day, the diagnosis came like a thunderbolt, splitting Jennifer’s world into a before and after.

Stage four. Terminal cancer.

The doctor’s words echoed in the sterile hospital room, but Jennifer’s mind was anywhere but on herself.

A doctor in her office | Source: Midjourney

A doctor in her office | Source: Midjourney

Stuart, now 13, sat across from her, his arms crossed, and a wall of teenage indifference masking the storm of emotions brewing beneath.

“I need to talk to you about some important things,” Jennifer began, her voice soft and loving. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for a notebook comprising a compilation of life lessons, contact information, and love she wanted to leave behind.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Stuart muttered, turning away.

Jennifer’s heart ached. Even now, her son refused to let her in. “Please,” she said, “just listen for a moment.”

A teenage boy frowning in a hospital | Source: Midjourney

A teenage boy frowning in a hospital | Source: Midjourney

She began explaining practical matters — how to do laundry, basic cooking, and managing small household tasks. Each instruction was a love letter disguised as mundane advice.

“You’ll need to learn to take care of yourself after I’m gone, dear,” she explained, sliding the notebook across the table. “Insurance papers are in the blue folder. Emergency contacts are—”

“Stop!” Stuart’s voice erupted, tears threatening to spill over but never falling. “Stop acting like you’re already gone!”

A woman lying in a hospital bed | Source: Pexels

A woman lying in a hospital bed | Source: Pexels

The room fell silent. Jennifer’s eyes were pools of infinite love and unshed tears.

“I’m trying to protect you,” she whispered. “I’ve always been trying to protect you.”

Stuart fled the room, fighting back tears. The thought of being left alone all over again crushed his spirit.

Then, a month later, Jennifer lost her battle with cancer.

At the funeral, Stuart stood like a statue. The world moved around him. People were whispering, crying, and sharing memories. But he remained detached like a marble figure carved from grief and anger.

A grieving teenage boy in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney

A grieving teenage boy in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney

Jennifer’s best friend, Carol, watched him carefully. She remembered Jennifer’s final request… a promise made in quiet, desperate moments.

“Promise me you’ll help him understand,” Jennifer had whispered just two days before she died, her hand clutching Carol’s. “Promise me you’ll make sure he knows how much he was loved. Promise me you’ll be there for him and love him like your own.”

Sighing a deep breath, Carol turned to Stuart. His eyes were dry. No tears. No visible emotion. Just a profound emptiness that scared Carol more than any outburst could.

As the casket lowered, something inside the boy began to crack. Not visibly. Not yet. But a fracture had begun… tiny, almost imperceptible, but real.

Somberly dressed men carrying a casket | Source: Pexels

Somberly dressed men carrying a casket | Source: Pexels

Carol approached Stuart after the service. “Your mother,” she began, “she loved you more than—”

“Don’t,” Stuart cut her off. “Just don’t.”

He returned home, enveloped by a grave silence. Jennifer’s voice, her constant, “Dinner is ready, sweetie!” calls from downstairs, and even the aroma of the pies she used to bake for him haunted Stuart. He walked around the house, tormented by the ghosts of memories.

The last thing Jennifer had written in her diary, tucked away where Stuart would eventually find it, was a simple message:

“My dearest Stuart,

I love you more than you will ever know.

More than words can say.

Always & forever,

Mom”

A diary | Source: Pixabay

A diary | Source: Pixabay

Stuart threw the diary on the bed, refusing to cry. But beneath the anger, beneath the wall he’d built, a tiny seed of something had been planted. A seed Jennifer had nurtured with every breath of her life.

Nine days after the funeral, Carol looked frail as she nervously approached Stuart in his room. He was staring at Jennifer’s framed photo on the wall.

“Sweetie,” Carol called out. The boy approached reluctantly.

“Before your mother died,” she said, “she made me promise to do something.” Her fingers, now thin and trembling, gripped his wrist. “Nine days after she was gone, I was to place something at her grave.”

A boy facing the wall | Source: Midjourney

A boy facing the wall | Source: Midjourney

Stuart’s eyes widened. “What is that?”

“You should visit her grave, sweetheart. She left something there just for you.”

Stuart’s eyes filled with tears he forced himself to hold back. “For me? But why there… of all places?”

“Because some truths can only be understood when the heart is ready to listen, dear.”

Mustering the courage, Stuart hurried to the cemetery, his legs slowing down as he approached Jennifer’s grave. Tears welled up in his eyes when he found an envelope on her tomb.

It was pristine. Addressed to him in her familiar, loving handwriting.

An envelope on a tomb | Source: Midjourney

An envelope on a tomb | Source: Midjourney

His hands shook as he opened it and began reading:

“From your biological mother.

My dearest Stuart,

The day I gave birth to you, I was a scared 19-year-old girl. Your father, a man who promised me the world, disappeared the moment he learned I was pregnant. I was alone, terrified, with nothing but a broken dream and a baby I loved more than life itself. My heart shattered the day I left you at the shelter’s doorstep.

Those five years you spent there broke my heart into a million pieces. Each night, I would cry, wondering if you were warm, if you were loved, and if you were eating enough. I worked three jobs, saved every penny, just to create a life where I could bring you home.

When I came to adopt you, I saw a boy who had been hurt. Abandoned. Rejected. And I knew I could never tell you the truth. Not then. Not when your wounds were so fresh.

So I became your adoptive mom… the woman who would love you unconditionally. Who would absorb your anger and your hatred. Who would wait patiently for the day you might understand and accept me.

I am not just your adoptive mother. I am your biological mother. I have always been your mother.

I loved you before you were born. I loved you through every harsh word. I love you still… from the beyond.

Forgive me. Please.

Your mother,

Jennifer”

An emotional boy reading a letter in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney

An emotional boy reading a letter in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney

Warm tears splashed onto the paper. Time seemed to stand still as memories flooded back: Jennifer’s endless patience. Her quiet love. The teddy bear she’d kept all these years. Every little thing.

“MOM!” Stuart whispered, his voice breaking free of the emotions he’d been holding all these years. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

His fingers traced the gravestone. The wind seemed to wrap around him like a mother’s embrace.

“I love you,” he sobbed. “I always loved you. I just didn’t know how to show it. I was afraid of losing you. Of being abandoned again. I didn’t do it intentionally. And I… I didn’t know that you were my real mother. I’m sorry.”

A boy crying in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney

A boy crying in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney

Silence surrounded him. Then, a gentle gust of breeze caressed his cheek. It felt like Jennifer was patting him. A small smile lit up Stuart’s face as he carefully tucked the letter back into the envelope. He leaned and planted a soft kiss on the gravestone, whispering, “Love you, Mom.”

From that day onward, Stuart visited his mother’s grave daily. Not out of obligation. But out of a love finally understood. A love that had waited, patient and unconditional, through every harsh word and every moment of rejection. A love that would continue… unbroken and forever.

A grieving boy holding a bouquet of white lilies in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney

A grieving boy holding a bouquet of white lilies in a cemetery | Source: Midjourney

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

I Found out My Wife Was Leading a Double Life after I Saw Her Payment Statement – Story of the Day

I thought my marriage was solid until a glance at my wife’s payment statement revealed a strange pattern: expenses on baby items, pediatricians, and kindergarten, none of which made sense since we didn’t have kids. Confused and concerned, I followed her, only to uncover she was leading a double life.

As a 33-year-old lawyer, my specialty was infidelity and how to get the aggrieved person the best deal. But my knack for it changed my life.

One day, I was driving home through the bustling city as the sun set. My career had taught me the value of trust in marriage, a principle I cherished, especially now, being newly married to Natalie, the woman I deeply loved.

Fragment of a car parked | Source: Shutterstock

Fragment of a car parked | Source: Shutterstock

That evening, as I pulled into my driveway, the absence of Natalie’s car made me frown. She was usually home by this time, her punctuality being one of her defining traits. But things had changed recently as she was home much later than me these days.

The quiet house amplified my unease. The silence inside was unsettling, and due to my line of work, doubts raced through my mind. A particularly unwelcome yet persistent thought emerged: “Could Natalie be cheating on me?”

Fortunately, hours later, Natalie returned, looking exhausted, but I couldn’t contain my words. “Where have you been? You’ve been late a lot. Is there something you’re not telling me?” And finally, I asked if she was being unfaithful.

Her reaction was one of shock. “Hank, I love you. I could never cheat on you. I’ve just been busy grading tests at school,” she assured me, sighing. That made sense. Natalie was a dedicated teacher, so I nodded and tried to let it go.

Girl pointing finger on screen | Source: Shutterstock

Girl pointing finger on screen | Source: Shutterstock

But while sharing dinner and stories of our day, a message on Natalie’s phone shattered any semblance of peace. “Honey, will you be there tomorrow?” I glanced at it and was surprised by the intimacy.

She quickly deleted the message and tried to keep talking about her day.

I interrupted her without a second thought. “What was that?” I asked, my voice heavy with suspicion.

“What do you mean?” she looked puzzled or was faking her expression.

“The message. I saw what it said,” I pressed, frowning.

Sad tired young woman | Source: Shutterstock

Sad tired young woman | Source: Shutterstock

Natalie sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Hank, it’s not what you think,” she tried to reassure me and showed me her phone to prove it was a wrong number.

But skepticism clouded my judgment, and my appetite vanished.

Later, in bed, the message replayed in my mind, not allowing me to sleep. Natalie lay beside me, seemingly peaceful, as she gently snored. My doubts grew, and I knew what I had to do. It was wrong, but I needed to know the truth.

Carefully, I used her finger to unlock her phone and found a contact named “Rabbit,” including conversations with an unknown number about getting together and happened on days Natalie had come home late.

Close-up of a hand holding a smartphone in bed | Source: Shutterstock

Close-up of a hand holding a smartphone in bed | Source: Shutterstock

I also decided to check her bank statements. That was always a major clue in my cases. My heart sank as I pieced together the evidence of her secret life, including payments for children’s toys and hospital bills. Did she have a child I didn’t know about? Did she call the kid ‘Rabbit’?

More importantly, who was the father?

Natalie woke briefly, so I scrambled to put her phone discreetly away and pretended I was falling asleep. But inside, I was distraught. The idea of her leading a double life was overwhelming.

The next morning, I woke determined to follow Natalie to her work. I reached the school and parked discreetly, watching the entrance until Natalie suddenly appeared and drove off.

I followed, my heart pounding with each turn, until she stopped at a run-down house in a modest neighborhood. I waited a few minutes before exiting my car and peering through a window.

Man watching neighbours | Source: Shutterstock

Man watching neighbours | Source: Shutterstock

I saw Natalie with a man, and the atmosphere between them was cozy. They were familiar with each other in an intimate way. I was sure of it, but my jaw dropped as I watched her lean forward and kiss the man on the cheek.

I wanted to investigate more and decided to hide in some bushes near the fence. That was when I saw Natalie emerging from the house, rolling a little girl in a wheelchair. They both smiled at each other, and I stared, mouth-agapped at them.

I was so mesmerized that I didn’t see a dog coming near me until its bark made me jump. It alerted Natalie, who looked around the yard, her eyes panicked. I tried to calm the dog. Then, I heard her.

“Who’s there? I’m calling the police!” Natalie yelled out, not recognizing me in the chaos. I ran off with the dog biting at my ankles and scrambled over the fence, ripping my pants in the process. I could only hope my wife didn’t recognize me.

Aggressive dog barks | Source: Shutterstock

Aggressive dog barks | Source: Shutterstock

Back in my car, the image of Natalie with the little girl in the wheelchair haunted me. I drove home, my mind swirling with fear, doubt, and dread about confronting my wife.

Once home, I changed my torn clothes and waited on the bed. Finally, hearing her car, I steeled myself and went to the living room. Natalie entered the house, apologizing for being late due to work.

I watched her, noticing her disheveled appearance, and cut to the chase, “Natalie, stop. I know everything.”

Frowning, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“I know you’re cheating on me,” I accused bluntly.

Boyfriend and girlfriend are arguing | Source: Shutterstock

Boyfriend and girlfriend are arguing | Source: Shutterstock

She was taken aback, denying it and attributing her late nights to work. I pressed about the suspicious messages.

“Hank. You went into my phone?” she asked, appalled.

“Yes! Yes! I went into your phone. I’m the bad guy, right? It’s me spending money on another family,” I retorted, my words dripping with sarcasm and hurt.

Natalie was visibly shaken. “What are you talking about? What other family?”

“I saw everything, Natalie. I saw it with my own eyes. You don’t work late at school, but go to some man and girl,” I continued.

“You followed me?”

Emotional annoyed stressed couple | Source: Shutterstock

Emotional annoyed stressed couple | Source: Shutterstock

“Yes,” I confessed, unashamed.

“I can’t believe this,” Natalie threw her arms in the air and stomped to our bedroom. I waited a few seconds and followed, only to see her packing.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. A hotel or something,” she said, stuffing her bag roughly.

“Fine,” I snapped and turned to leave, but I saw her phone lying on the bed and grabbed it. Back in the living room, I installed a tracking app, just in case. Then, I went back to the bedroom, returning the phone to where she left it.

But I saw her face and the pain I had inflicted. I didn’t want to be angry anymore and started pleading with her to stay. “Let’s talk,” I said. “We can fix this. You don’t have to leave.”

Untidy Teenage Bedroom | Source: Shutterstock

Untidy Teenage Bedroom | Source: Shutterstock

“Yes, I do,” Natalie snapped, zipping her back. “And for your information, the man and child you saw are my brother and niece.”

I felt my eyebrows go up. “Why have I never met them before?!” I demanded. But she didn’t answer and went around me, ignoring me as I followed.

She slammed the front door, and I stayed back, reeling. In a fit of rage, I swept off the items on our mantel and screamed my frustrations out. Breathing heavily, I realized I needed to know more, so I searched our bedroom.

Shockingly, I discovered a hidden compartment in her wardrobe containing a gun, several fake passports, a bag of money, and a newspaper clipping about a bank robbery.

“What?” I breathed out. “Who did I marry?”

Man's hand open Full Black Duffel Bag | Source: Shutterstock

Man’s hand open Full Black Duffel Bag | Source: Shutterstock

I was in a daze. Wrapping the items in a bag, I placed them in my car’s trunk and drove to the hotel nearby, where Natalie must have been staying. Fortunately, I was right and discreetly bribed the receptionist to get Natalie’s room number.

I knocked outside her door, disguising my voice as room service. She opened the door and crossed her arms. “What else do you want to talk about, Hank? I already said I am not cheating on you,” she sighed.

“I believe you didn’t cheat on me,” I interrupted. I then presented the bag, asking her to explain the gun, fake documents, and money.

Natalie sighed, inviting me inside and admitting her involvement with bad people and a bank robbery to pay for her niece’s urgent surgery. I listened in shock, rubbing my chin as I processed.

Bank robbery of the century | Source: Shutterstock

Bank robbery of the century | Source: Shutterstock

“You robbed a bank?” I whispered.

“Yes,” she admitted quietly. “There was no other way. My ‘Rabbit’…I mean, my niece, Katie, was dying. My brother, Tom, didn’t have the money. I had to do something. This was before you and I even met.”

“We have to tell the police, Nat. But my friend, Luke, is the best criminal defense attorney in the state,” I began, my lawyer mind planning. “You can’t live this double life, waiting for the sword to drop. Come home with me, and we’ll think of a solution.”

Natalie stared into my eyes, and I saw all the fear she must have felt for years since her bank robbery. But I held her hand. I’d be there for her through it all. Finally, she nodded, and we drove home.

At home, Natalie made tea, and we sat at the kitchen table to drink it. I talked about contacting Luke, who could help her get a good deal, but my eyes got droopy all of a sudden. I remembered Natalie guiding me to my bed but nothing else.

Close-up of man holding knife | Source: Shutterstock

Close-up of man holding knife | Source: Shutterstock

I woke up disoriented the next morning. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my head. A strange redness in the sheets caught my attention, and when my vision focused, I saw a knife covered in blood on the other side of the bed.

I remembered the tea, and it all clicked. Did she want to frame me? To pretend she was dead?

“Natalie!” I screamed, standing and swaying on my feet. I noticed a trail of blood leading out of the bedroom, and I gasped at the state of my place. The house was in disarray. Furniture was overturned, and the living room was a scene of destruction, worse than what I had done last night.

I kept calling for my wife. I tried to wipe some of the blood with my hand, but it only made it worse. Finally, I saw movement outside, and I peered through the blinds. Two policemen were talking to my neighbor, and I heard him mention screaming coming from our house.

I looked sideways, and my car looked like it had been driven through rough terrain, but I had no memory of leaving the house. The two cops came over and started knocking, but I scrambled to the bedroom, dressed, grabbed Natalie’s pistol, and jumped out of the window.

Male eyes spying through roller blind | Source: Shutterstock

Male eyes spying through roller blind | Source: Shutterstock

They saw and ran after me, but I knew the neighborhood better. I kept thinking I needed to find Natalie and understand the truth. But I couldn’t do that if I was caught. The scene at the house was too crazy. Natalie had done an excellent job trying to appear like I had hurt her.

I hid somewhere and saw the two cops running off in the opposite direction. I waited, feeling worse by the second. After a while, I cautiously emerged from my hiding spot, using the tracking app on my phone to find my wife while my fingers trembled.

The app led me to an empty road, where I found Natalie’s phone discarded in the tall grass, a clear sign that all this had been on purpose. Frustrated but not deterred, I decided to visit Natalie’s brother’s house.

Taking a taxi, I arrived at his place and knocked relentlessly. When Tom opened it, I didn’t waste time on pleasantries. I pulled out the gun, aiming it at his face, and, with a steady hand, I walked in as he retreated with his hands in the air.

Revolver in hand | Source: Shutterstock

Revolver in hand | Source: Shutterstock

Once in, I demanded he call Natalie immediately. When the call connected, I didn’t mince words.

“Hi, Natalie. You sound very much alive for someone who’s supposed to be dead. Contrary to your plans, I haven’t been detained. But Tom here isn’t doing so well. I have a gun pointed at him, and if you don’t come here within the next 6 hours, I will kill both Tom and Katie.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” she gasped.

I scoffed angrily. “Want to test me? I don’t think so.”

“Hank, please,” Natalie begged.

I cut her off. “You have 6 hours.”

Beauty girl cry | Source: Shutterstock

Beauty girl cry | Source: Shutterstock

***

I waited, the gun never leaving my hand as Tom and his daughter sat on the opposite couch. I knew I was supposed to feel bad, but I was beyond caring at that point.

The front door burst open, and my wife walked in. She froze after seeing her pistol and her brother and niece scared. “Hank, I beg you. Let them go,” Natalie begged.

“Why did you do this, Nat? Why did you fake your death?” I stood in a flash, spitting my questions.

“I don’t want to go to prison. You wanted to turn me in. I couldn’t take that risk.”

“I love you, Natalie. We could have faced everything together,” I spat.

“But in prison, I would have been alone,” she said, looking away.

Handcuffs | Source: Shutterstock

Handcuffs | Source: Shutterstock

My lips were shaking as I tried to come up with a solution that wouldn’t destroy our lives, but the police startled us, coming into the house with their arms out. They went right at me, and I knew I deserved to be arrested for threatening Tom and Katie, but I told them everything my wife did.

With her eyes down, Natalie finally admitted the truth, and they arrested her. As they took her away, our eyes met one last time, a silent goodbye.

I turned to Tom then. “I’m truly sorry for all the anxiety I caused you. I didn’t want to, but I needed Natalie to come, and this was the only way.”

The police arrested me, too. Sitting in the patrol car, I tried to justify my actions, “Understand, I had no other choice. I needed her to come.”

Police lights at night in the city | Source: Shutterstock

Police lights at night in the city | Source: Shutterstock

“No goal justifies threatening anyone at gunpoint. You should’ve called the police, explained what happened, and let us handle it.”

Reflecting on those words, I realized the magnitude of my missteps and how I wished I could go back and start over. But I could only do better in the future, starting by calling Luke. I desperately needed his help.

Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

If you enjoyed this story, read this: Hailey goes on vacation, looking for a calm break from her past problems. At a grocery store, she’s shocked to see a man who looks exactly like her husband, who she was sure died in a plane crash. Wanting to know more, Hailey rushed to him, especially since all her money went missing right before he supposedly died.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.

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