A rich man and an older woman are linked by a strange twist of fate, which they discover after four years of living under the same roof.
The heavy pattering rain on the window and the thunderous boom playing in the sky distracted Dylan, who was busy on his laptop. In a rage, he marched to the living room window to close the curtains when he noticed something odd.
A woman stood drenched and shivering in the pouring rain, staring at his house. Even in the darkness of the evening, he could make out her frail figure, trembling from the cold outside.
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“Lyra, honey!” he called out to his wife. “Did you call someone home?”
“No, I didn’t, Dylan,” she replied, joining him at the window. “Who’s there?”
“Do we know her?” he asked. “That woman out there… she’s just standing in the rain.”
Lyra looked out the window and shook her head. “I don’t know… she seems old. Let’s ask her if she needs any help.”
So Dylan and Lyra went downstairs and outside, carrying an extra umbrella and blanket for the older woman.
As soon as the older woman saw them, Dylan noticed a panic in her eyes.
A mother loves her child no matter what.
“Ma’am, are you alright?” asked Dylan, sheltering her under the spare umbrella. “Can we help you with something?”
“Oh well, I don’t know…” she said. “I—I don’t have a place to live here. I’m new in town and have no idea where to go…”
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The woman didn’t have any luggage, which confused Dylan and Lyra. She could be faking it all, they thought. And they had two kids at home. They didn’t want to risk their safety by letting a stranger in, but something about the woman told Dylan she wasn’t a threat.
“Do you have any family we could contact, ma’am?” asked Lyra. “We could call the police.”
“Oh no, no,” she cried out. “I don’t have a family… I came here looking for a job, children… I don’t know why I—I just stopped here. I should leave…”
“It’s alright!” Dylan stopped her. “Come on in. You’ll get sick out in the cold. Have some tea with us.”
So Dylan and Lyra brought her inside. Lyra gave her some of her mother’s old clothes, and after the older woman had dried up and changed, they all had tea together.
“I’m Marlene,” the old woman told Lyra and Dylan, who had discussed hiring her as a maid back in the kitchen. She seemed fine, and Lyra needed help with the house chores.
“Thank you for the tea,” said Marlene. “I really needed it.”
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“So you said you came here looking for work?” asked Lyra. “Would you like to work for us? We have two kids who are asleep right now. You could meet them in the morning, and I need help with the house.”
“Really?” asked Marlene. “Would you really hire me?”
“Well, why not?” Dylan said. “So long as you’re fine with it. We’ll also need your information… any ID… We can’t just keep anyone home.”
“Oh, OK,” Marlene said. “But I would need help with that. I was robbed right after leaving the station, so I’d need a laptop or something… I was wise enough to save digital copies.”
“Perfect!” smiled Dylan. “You can rest in the guest bedroom tonight, Marlene…”
That was four years ago. Marlene started working as a maid at Dylan and Lyra’s house four years ago after Dylan sheltered her from the rain, but she quickly became like family to them. Their children, Aaron and Lisa, affectionately called her “Ganma Marlene,” and the entire family adored her.
But on her birthday that year, everything changed. Dylan and Lyra planned a lavish celebration for Marlene and invited everyone they knew.
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Marlene blew out the candles, had the most lovely dinner with her family, and received tons of precious gifts.
After everyone left, she was busy unwrapping the gifts with Aaron and Lisa. Meanwhile, Dylan went to her room to retrieve something and noticed her laptop was left on.
He was about to close it when a message on her social profile on Facebook caught his attention.
“Happy birthday, dearest Marlene! I hope you’re having the best days of your life now that you’ve found your son. Your little boy, he must love you so much!”
Dylan felt like his heart had dropped to the floor. 28 years ago, he was heartlessly abandoned by his mother on the doorstep of a shelter when he was just a little boy of three. She never came looking for her, and he could never find her. He knew nothing about her.
Shocked, Dylan walked into the living room and saw Marlene smiling and playing with her children. He was disgusted and enraged.
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“Marlene!” he cried. “Why did you do that? Just why?”
Marlene turned around and saw Dylan crying.
“Honey,” said Lyra, concerned. “What’s the matter? Why are you crying?”
“I’d like to know the truth, Marlene. Or should I call you ‘mom?'”
“What?” gasped Lyra. “Mom?”
Marlene’s eyes welled up. “I’m sorry, Dylan,” she said. “I didn’t want to deceive you all these years. I am sorry.”
“What else have you lied about, huh?” he yelled. “Tell me, goddammit! Why did you do it? Why did you come here and hurt me again?”
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“Dylan…” whispered Marlene. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t have a choice. You were a three-year-old boy… you needed a loving home, and I would never have been able to give you that. I was diagnosed with cancer, and I never thought I’d live through it, Dylan. So I had to let you go. I came to take you when my cancer went into remission, but it was too late.
“A wealthy family had taken you in, and they said you were happy. I was happy for you, Dylan, so I stayed away and watched you from afar all these years. Look at you; you are rich and successful today. It’s due to their upbringing. I’m so thankful to them…and I’m sorry. I don’t know why I couldn’t hold myself back when you took me in four years ago… I just couldn’t… I was scared to tell you the truth… I’m sorry…”
“OUT!” yelled Dylan. “Don’t you think you’re too mean to deserve such kindness? You can’t just walk into my life and then walk out. Just leave!”
“Dylan, honey,” said Lyra. “Let’s talk about it—”
“It’s OK, Lyra,” Marlene said in tears. “I deserve this. I shouldn’t have kept you all in the dark. I am sorry.”
And Marlene left Dylan’s house that evening. The kids asked Lyra and Dylan why Ganma Darlene left, and all Dylan told them was, “Because she wasn’t your grandmother! She was a liar!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
A week later, Dylan regretted saying that. He found out that Marlene was not the biological mother who had abandoned him.
Dylan chanced upon Marlene’s Facebook profile on the laptop because she hadn’t logged out, and he read another message her friend Linda had left her.
“You should tell him the truth, Marlene. How devastated will he be to learn that he has lost his mother twice? He deserves to know that his mother abandoned him in a park and that you took him in. He will love you, Marlene. He really will…”
Dylan couldn’t believe what he had read. He went through her entire profile in tears, reading Linda’s messages, and guess what? He found out Marlene had been living only a few blocks away from him.
Dylan rushed to her home, and as soon as she answered the door, he cried his heart out and hugged her.
“Mom,” he sobbed. “I love you! I’m so sorry, Mom… I am just so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me you’re not my biological mother? You… you saved me!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“How would it matter, Dylan?” she asked, hugging him back. “I loved you like my son, and it pained me when I left you. I did abandon you… I was no different from your mother, except I left you because I loved you.”
“You’re coming home,” he said. “That’s all I want. I love you.”
What can we learn from this story?
- A mother loves her child no matter what. The fact that Dylan wasn’t Marlene’s blood didn’t matter to her because, at her heart, she was a mother who just wanted to give her son all the love she could.
- Making a sacrifice is never easy, but it is sometimes the only way out. Marlene had let Dylan go because she loved him enough to put his interests above hers.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
A Wedding Day Unveiled: Amber’s Tale of Heartbreak and Revelation
Amber had always been the type of girl who dreamed of her perfect wedding day. Ever since she was young, she meticulously planned each detail in her mind. From the enchanting venue to the stunning cake, Amber’s imagination crafted her ideal ceremony.
“When Tim proposed, I was overjoyed. I had everything planned to perfection,” Amber shared with a smile during a cozy evening with Tim.
“Our wedding will be unforgettable,” Amber confided in Tim as they lay in bed, basking in their shared future.
“I have no doubt about that, Amber,” Tim responded with an affectionate grin.
Eager to share her joy, Amber called her friends from across the country, asking them to stand with her as bridesmaids. These were the friends who had been with her through thick and thin, starting from their college days.
Together, they poured over every detail, trusting and relying on each other completely—until a shocking revelation threatened everything.
On what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, standing at the altar with Tim, Amber’s world began to unravel.
“If anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace,” the officiant announced, echoing through the venue.
To Amber’s horror, three of her bridesmaids suddenly proclaimed, “We object!”
The room filled with gasps and murmurs of confusion.
Amber’s eyes darted to her fourth bridesmaid, Sara, who was visibly upset by the outburst.
“Are you guys crazy?” Sara exclaimed in disbelief.
“Sara,” Audrey, the maid of honor, interjected, “we discussed this. You know what’s happening!”
“Look at the cake!” Mel shouted, pointing towards the beautifully decorated wedding cake that Amber had painstakingly chosen.
Sara’s gaze shifted to the cake, and her face drained of color, realizing the gravity of what it represented.
A week prior to this day, Amber’s bridesmaids had asked her to meet at a local coffee shop. Anticipating a discussion about a possible bachelorette party, Amber was utterly unprepared for what they revealed instead.
“Amber,” Audrey began with a solemn tone, “there’s something you need to know.”
As they sipped coffee and shared slices of cake, Audrey dropped the bombshell.
“We saw Ellie with Tim,” she confessed. “They were not just walking together; they were holding hands, kissing.”
Amber felt the air leave her lungs, disbelief and betrayal sinking in.
“What are you talking about?” Amber gasped, the shock rendering her speechless.
Mel, hands trembling, handed her phone to Amber. The screen displayed a photo that shattered her world: Ellie, her friend and bridesmaid, locked in an intimate embrace with Tim.
That night, after Tim fell asleep, Amber confirmed her worst fears. She found undeniable proof of their affair—photos, messages, and videos on Tim’s phone, revealing a deep and intimate connection.
Fueled by a mix of rage and heartbreak, Amber devised a plan not just for revenge, but for revelation.
“I still wanted to wear my wedding dress,” Amber admitted, “but I knew I wouldn’t be marrying Tim at the end of it.”
Her scheme was wickedly simple: she ordered custom cake toppers that unmistakably resembled Tim and Ellie. Every detail was there—Ellie’s signature red lipstick, her prominent tattoo, and even her beloved dog, Bjorn.
On the day of the wedding, as guests noticed the striking resemblance of the cake toppers to Tim and Ellie, whispers turned into loud inquiries.
“Is that Ellie and Tim on the cake?” Tim’s brother pointed out, stunned.
“How could they?” another guest murmured, disbelief and disappointment mingling in the air.
Ellie, pale and shaken, attempted to speak. “Amber, I can explain everything,” she stammered, but it was too late.
Tim, desperate, grasped Amber’s hand. “This isn’t what you think,” he pleaded, his eyes searching hers for forgiveness.
But the damage was irreversible. The wedding, once a dream of love and unity, had morphed into a public unmasking of betrayal.
“There’s nothing to explain, Ellie,” Amber responded, her voice a blend of ice and tremor. “Everyone can see who you truly are now.”
As murmurs filled the room, Amber turned to her loyal bridesmaids with gratitude. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice softening with genuine appreciation.
Together, they walked out, leaving behind a scene of chaos and shattered illusions. It wasn’t the fairy-tale ending Amber had envisioned, but it was a day of hard truths and raw honesty.
Later, Amber and her bridesmaids retreated to the hotel suite originally booked for her honeymoon. During that week, she had canceled the honeymoon flights and planned a solo trip for reflection and healing.
Now, sitting with a coffee on the balcony, Amber contemplated her next steps. Her life with Tim was deeply intertwined, and untangling it would be her next challenge.
“I may have lost a fiancé and a friend,” Amber reflected, “but I’ve gained an even deeper bond with the friends who truly have my back.”
What would you have done in Amber’s shoes?
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