70-year-old Agnes miraculously survives an attempt on her life, narrowly escaping with a broken leg. One night, while lying still in her bed, she notices her son-in-law sneaking into her room and approaching her bedside.
In the quiet of the night, a soft rustling stirred 70-year-old Agnes to be as cautious as a hawk on the hunt. She peered out from under her blanket at the shadowy figure of her son-in-law, Chris, rummaging through her nightstand.
Beads of sweat broke on Agnes’s forehead. She’d been waiting for this moment. With a flick of her wrist, she turned on the light.
“Caught you, you conniving scoundrel! Your unquenchable greed has finally unmasked you…Time to say goodbye to my daughter and surrender your freedom to the cops.”
“A-Agnes??” Chris stammered. A look of agitation and surprise washed over his face. “I thought you were…DEAD.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
A few months ago…
Agnes and her 45-year-old daughter, Grace, entered the Silver Grande Cafe to meet Chris, Grace’s boyfriend of six months.
“Hello, Mrs. Xavier. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Chris rose for a handshake.
Grace had told her Chris was 13 years her junior, but Agnes never thought he would be so charming. He was also oddly familiar. The trio sat down, and Agnes immediately started giving him the third degree.
“I recognize you… Have we crossed paths before?” Agnes asked.
“I don’t…think so.” Chris stared Agnes evenly in the eye.
“Oh, Mom! I’m sure you’re mistaken.” Grace pushed a plate of lobster toward Agnes. “It’s getting cold. Let’s eat.”
Dinner continued as awkwardly as could be expected and with much frustration on Agnes’s part. Every time she posed a question to Chris, Grace would chime in to answer. When the bill arrived, Agnes watched in disbelief as Grace took out her wallet to pay.
“So your beloved lady pays for your dinner, young man?” Agnes asked Chris.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“Chris’s Grandpa left him a huge inheritance, but he can’t access it until the paperwork clears. He’ll have more than enough money to care for me then, okay?” Grace said, jumping to Chris’s defense yet again.
Flapping his blazer, Chris rose from his chair and hugged Grace. “Thanks for the dinner, darling. I have to give a presentation to an important client from Japan, and I’m already running late.”
Once Chris left the restaurant, Grace admonished her mother for being so rude to Chris.
“I don’t know how to sugarcoat things, Grace. I only know to ask in the face. Because I deserve to know the truth. Let’s go home now.” Agnes got up.
Grace hailed a taxi for her mother, saying she had to meet a friend in the theater. Grace stared idly out the cab window as the driver navigated traffic. Just as the taxi crossed a lane, Agnes noticed Chris entering a costume rental store with a bag in hand.
“Stop the car, driver!” Agnes instructed the cabbie, and the taxi came to a halt on the roadside.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Agnes lowered the window. Her sharp eyes weren’t deceiving her; that was Chris! A few minutes later, he exited the store looking terrible. Gone was the crisp blue suit from dinner, replaced by shabby trousers, a faded hoodie, and badly scuffed shoes. This was definitely not suitable attire for an important business presentation!
Agnes could only assume he’d lied to her and Grace. She asked the cabbie to follow him, but moments later, Chris entered an alley with insufficient room for the car. She followed Chris on foot. Soon, Agnes realized she was in a shady neighborhood notorious for criminal activities.
She watched in disbelief as Chris slipped into a run-down house. She crept closer, careful not to be seen or caught, and peered through a cracked window.
Her jaw dropped when she saw a familiar picture of herself wearing a $400 000 diamond necklace that had been in her family for generations.
As she pondered where Chris got the photo, some dark memories rushed back, jolting Agnes like a thunderbolt.
“That’s why Chris seemed so familiar,” Agnes whispered.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
15 years ago, a young man named Larry, who looked exactly like Chris, had tried to steal the necklace. He claimed it was his family heirloom that was stolen by Agnes’s ancestors. A legal battle ensued, but Larry was eventually sent to prison, where he died in a fire.
Agnes remembered seeing Larry’s younger brother in the courtroom. In a flash, she realized that young man was Chris and that he must’ve sought Grace out so he could get revenge for his brother’s tragic death.
But Grace would never believe her without proof. With trembling fingers, Agnes aimed her phone’s camera at Chris’s living room. She accidentally triggered the flash while trying to click a picture of him staring at the photo of the necklace.
Chris spun round to face the window. Agnes fled. She watched Chris appear on the doorstep from her hiding spot behind a trash can. He looked up and down the street, then went back inside. Agnes sighed with relief. With her heart racing, she escaped from the alley and hailed a cab to take her home.
The following morning, Agnes rushed to her daughter’s apartment to save her and the family heirloom from Chris.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
“Darling, I need to tell you something…it’s about Chris…last night I saw him going to this…”
Her voice trailed off when she saw Chris sitting on the couch with Grace. He looked up and smiled at Agnes.
“Mom, is everything okay?” Grace asked.
“We need to talk, Grace. And Chris, you need to hear this too.” Agnes settled down, her gaze fixed on Chris as she recounted everything that happened 15 years ago.
“Mrs. Xavier, you’re mistaken.” Chris shook his head. “I had no idea my brother had anything to do with your family necklace. I’m shocked myself. I was in the meeting, I swear. Not in some alley. Besides, If I wanted to rob Grace, why would I plan this?”
Chris reached into his pocket and removed a small velvet box. Agnes watched in disbelief as Chris got down on one knee and popped the question to Grace.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
“But I have proof!” Agnes took out her phone to show the photo she’d taken. Although Chris’s face was visible, the photo of her and the necklace was hidden by a ball of light from the flash reflecting off the window.
Grace only had eyes for Chris. She forgot everything Agnes had just told her as he slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her.
Agnes was taken aback by the swiftness of the proposal. She suspected Chris knew she’d been snooping because of the phone’s flash and had orchestrated the proposal to divert Grace’s attention. Determined to thwart Chris’s plan, Agnes decided to act ahead of him.
“In that case, let’s do one thing,” she interrupted the couple. “Give me the family necklace, sweetheart, and there won’t be any more drama!”
Grace frowned. “The necklace is safe, and you gave it to me, remember? Why do you want it back now? I want to wear it for the wedding.”
“I loaned it to you, Grace, but it’s still mine. Wear something else for your wedding, not this necklace. Return it…now.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Chris watched Grace remove the necklace from a hidden vault in the fireplace in disbelief. His face contorted with concealed frustration.
“Here, take your necklace.” Grace angrily shoved the case into Agnes’s hand. “I don’t want it.”
“I’m very happy for you both. Congratulations!” Agnes bitterly replied as she tossed the jewel case into her handbag. She then approached Chris and whispered:
“We’ll continue to play your wicked game, Chris…as long as you don’t run away! You’ll never get your dirty hands on this necklace.”
Agnes assumed Chris would disappear once she’d secured the necklace, but two weeks later, he and Grace tied the knot at a picturesque resort perched above the shimmering sea.
Agnes was shocked that Chris had taken his act this far. She couldn’t figure out his next move, so she was very vigilant. She stepped outside for a breath of fresh air on the restaurant’s balcony, 30 meters above the crashing waves.
Chris suddenly spoke behind her.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
“You know, Mrs. Xavier, you were right about the necklace!” Chris stared balefully at Agnes as he approached. “It rightfully belongs to my family. I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back.”
Agnes craned her neck to see behind Chris, only to realize they were alone. Even if she cried for help, the music in the party hall was too loud for anyone to hear her. Agnes was…trapped.
“What are you doing?!” Agnes stepped back. “Don’t come any closer. Stay right there.”
“You shouldn’t have meddled in my affairs,” Chris sneered. “Everything was going according to plan…until you followed me home. You thought I didn’t see that flash by the window? You’re an obstacle on my path. So why don’t you just…” He lunged toward her.
“Chris, stop! Please…No!” Agnes shouted in panic.
But it was too late. Chris grabbed her shoulders and pushed her. Agnes tried to grab the railing, but her fingers grasped at thin air. She plummeted toward the ocean.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
The next day…
Agnes’s eyes fluttered open. Everything ached as she craned her neck and saw her leg encased in a bulky cast. She was in a hospital bed.
“Mom, you’re awake!” Grace rushed to her, teary-eyed. “It’s a miracle you survived that fall with minimal injuries.”
“Chris pushed me, Grace,” Agnes said.
Grace’s expression shifted from relief to anger. She refused to believe her and ended up storming out of Agnes’s room in a fury. Grace’s stubborn denial gnawed at Agnes’s heart.
Then, a haunting realization gripped Agnes—Chris had the perfect opportunity to steal the necklace and escape forever.
She called the nurse and asked to be discharged, but the nurse refused. Once she left the ward, Agnes hatched an escape plan. She limped out of her bed, changed her clothes, then eased herself into a wheelchair. She wheeled down the hall and into the elevator.
A rush of anxiety and adrenaline washed over her as she escaped from the hospital and approached a taxi stand. At home, Agnes checked the safe and found the necklace intact. Chris hadn’t broken into her house yet, so she put out all the lights and crept into bed. She knew Chris would come for the necklace…and he did.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Back to the present…
“You survived that fall?” Chris scowled and cracked his knuckles. “Guess I’ll have to get my hands dirty and send you off on my own!”
He was advancing towards her when the bedroom door burst open. A squad of police officers surrounded Chris and arrested him. Grace rushed to her mother’s side when she heard the news and apologized for not believing her.
“The truth always finds its way out!” Agnes said.
Agnes hugged Grace as they prepared to leave for the hospital to continue Agnes’s treatment.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
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I Returned Home with My Daughter Only to Find Out My Husband Had Disappeared — the Reason Left Me Speechless
They say life can change in an instant. For me, that instant came on a Tuesday evening when I returned home from the park with my four-year-old daughter to find our apartment eerily quiet and my husband’s closet completely empty.
Have you ever had that feeling where your whole world shifts beneath your feet? Where everything you thought you knew suddenly doesn’t make sense anymore?
That’s exactly how I felt when I found that note from my husband, telling me he’d only return if I fulfilled “one request.”
A woman standing in her house | Source: Midjourney
I used to think I had a pretty good handle on my life.
At thirty, I had what most people would consider the whole package. A beautiful daughter, a stable marriage, and a cozy apartment in the city.
Sure, Jordan and I had our moments, like any couple married for six years, but we always worked through them.
I thought my life was going well until that Tuesday evening when my world came crashing down.
A woman standing near a window | Source: Pexels
“Mommy, can we go to the park?” Grace asked that afternoon, her big brown eyes pleading with me as she hugged her favorite stuffed rabbit. “Please? I want to show Mr. Hoppy the new swings!”
I smiled, setting aside the pile of laundry I’d been folding. “You know what? That sounds like a perfect idea.”
The park was just a few blocks from our apartment, and Grace chatted the whole way there about her day at daycare.
A black fence in a park | Source: Pexels
“And then Emma shared her cookies with me at snack time, and Miss Sarah said my drawing was the prettiest!”
“That’s wonderful, sweetie,” I laughed, swinging our joined hands between us. “Was it another unicorn drawing?”
“No, silly! It was our family,” she said. “You and me and Daddy and Mr. Hoppy!”
We spent nearly an hour at the park, Grace conquering the slide at least twenty times before I gave her several final pushes on the swings.
The late afternoon sun was starting to dip when I finally convinced her it was time to head home.
A girl blowing bubbles in a park | Source: Pexels
“But Mommy, just five more minutes?” she begged.
“Come on, munchkin. We need to start thinking about dinner.”
The first sign something was wrong came when we reached our floor. The door to our apartment was slightly ajar, which was unusual. Jordan was always careful about security.
“Jordan?” I called out as we stepped inside. “Hey, are you home early?”
Silence.
A woman standing in her house | Source: Midjourney
“Grace, honey, why don’t you go put Mr. Hoppy in your room?” I suggested, trying to keep my voice casual despite the growing unease in my stomach.
Something felt off.
As soon as Grace disappeared down the hall, I headed straight for our bedroom. But the sight that greeted me made my heart stop.
Jordan’s side of the closet was completely empty. His dresser drawers hung open, cleared out. His laptop was gone from his desk, along with the framed photo of us from our honeymoon that usually sat beside it.
A desk in a bedroom | Source: Midjourney
My hands were shaking as I noticed the piece of paper on his pillow. The message was brief, written in Jordan’s familiar scrawl.
I will return only if you fulfill ONE REQUEST.
I sank onto the edge of the bed, the note crumpling slightly in my trembling fingers. What was happening?
Jordan and I had argued about him working too much just last week, but we’d made up. Everything had been fine. Normal. Hadn’t it?
“Mommy?” Grace’s small voice came from the doorway. “Where’s all Daddy’s stuff?”
A little girl looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
I quickly stood up and forced a smile.
“Hey sweetie. Daddy… Daddy had to go away for a little while. But it’s okay. We’re okay.”
As I pulled her into a hug, I wondered if I was trying to convince her or myself. Either way, I had a sinking feeling that nothing was really okay at all.
My first instinct was to call Jordan’s cell. With Grace playing in her room, I paced our living room, listening to the rings until his voicemail picked up.
“Jordan, where are you? What’s going on? Please call me back immediately.”
A woman using her phone | Source: Pexels
I tried messaging him on every social platform we used, but nothing helped. After an hour of silence, I started calling his friends.
“Hey Mike, it’s Kathryn,” I said when his best friend answered. “Have you heard from Jordan today?”
“Kathryn? No, haven’t talked to him since last week’s game night. Everything okay?”
“I… I don’t know. He’s gone. Like, really gone. His clothes, his laptop… everything’s gone, and he left this weird note about coming back if I fulfill some request.”
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
There was a long pause. “What? That doesn’t sound like Jordan at all. Have you called Tom or Steve?”
I called everyone I could think of, but nobody had heard anything.
Finally, with my hands shaking, I dialed his parents’ number.
“Linda? It’s Kathryn,” I tried to keep my voice steady. “Is Jordan with you?”
“Jordan? No, honey. Is something wrong? You sound upset.”
An older woman talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
“He’s… he’s gone. I came home and all his things were gone. He left a note saying he’ll only come back if I fulfill some request, but I don’t know what he wants. I can’t reach him anywhere.”
“What do you mean, gone?” Linda’s voice rose with concern.
“Robert!” I heard her call to Jordan’s father. “Robert, come here. Something’s happened with Jordan.”
“We haven’t heard anything from him,” Robert’s gruff voice came on the line. “This isn’t like him at all. Have you called the police?”
“I… no, not yet. I kept hoping he’d call or come back or…”
A woman talking to her in-laws | Source: Midjourney
“Call them,” Robert interrupted firmly. “Right now. We’re coming over.”
I ended the call and dialed 911, my voice cracking as I explained the situation. Within thirty minutes, two officers were at our door – Officers Martinez and Chen according to their badges.
“Ma’am, can you tell us exactly what happened?” Officer Martinez asked, notebook in hand.
I recounted everything while Officer Chen examined the apartment.
A close-up shot of an officer’s uniform | Source: Pexels
Grace had fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from the park and confused by all the commotion.
“And there were no signs of forced entry?” Officer Chen asked.
“No. He must have just… packed up and left while we were at the park.”
“Any recent arguments? Financial troubles? Signs of depression?”
I shook my head. “Nothing unusual. We had a small argument last week about his work hours, but we resolved it. Everything seemed fine.”
A woman talking to a police officer | Source: Midjourney
They took down all the information, but I could tell from their expressions that there wasn’t much they could do. Jordan was an adult who had left of his own accord.
“We’ll file a missing persons report,” Officer Martinez said gently, “but since there’s no sign of foul play…”
“I understand,” I whispered.
The next three days were a blur. I barely slept, jumping every time my phone buzzed. Jordan’s parents helped with Grace while I made more calls, checked our bank accounts, and tried to piece together any clues I might have missed.
Then came the doorbell on that third day.
A person ringing the doorbell | Source: Pexels
I rushed to answer it, hope surging in my chest, only to find a plain brown package on our welcome mat.
My heart pounded as I picked it up, already knowing somehow that it was from Jordan.
The package had a DNA test and a letter. I quickly took the letter out and read it.
A close-up shot of a handwritten letter | Source: Pexels
Dear Kathryn
I know this may come as a shock, but I need to know the truth. I’ve always suspected something.
Recently, I was looking through some old college photos of yours, and I saw your best friend from back then. As I looked at the picture, I couldn’t help but notice the striking resemblance between her and Grace. Same hair color, same eyes, same nose.
I started wondering if Grace was not really my daughter.
I’m sorry, but I need you to do a DNA test for Grace. I can’t continue without knowing.
If you send me the results and they confirm I’m her father, I’ll return. If not, I can’t come back.
Please, send the results to the address below.
I couldn’t believe it.
A woman holding a letter | Source: Midjourney
Eight years together, and this was what he thought of me? Of our daughter? All because Grace happened to look like my old college friend?
I sat at our kitchen table, staring at that letter until the words blurred.
“You want proof?” I whispered to the empty room. “Fine. You’ll get your proof.”
I went ahead and did the DNA test. Not because Jordan wanted it. Because I wanted to prove how wrong he was.
I quickly took a cheek swab while Grace was sleeping. She barely stirred when I did it. Then, I sealed the sample and sent it for testing.
A woman sitting in her room | Source: Midjourney
While we waited for the results, I threw myself into keeping life normal for Grace. But at night, after she was asleep, the anger would come rushing back.
“Mommy, when is Daddy coming home?” Grace asked one morning over breakfast.
I smoothed her hair, fighting back tears. “I’m not sure, sweetie. But you know what? You and me… we’re going to be just fine.”
“Like Emma and her mommy?” she asked, referring to her friend from daycare whose parents had divorced last year.
“Maybe,” I said softly. “We’ll figure it out together.”
A woman talking to her daughter | Source: Midjourney
When the DNA results finally arrived, I wasn’t even surprised. Of course, Jordan was Grace’s father. I’d never had a single doubt.
But as I held those results in my hands, I realized something important. Proving Jordan wrong wasn’t going to fix what he’d broken.
I sat down at my laptop and began typing.
A woman typing a letter | Source: Pexels
Dear Jordan,
Here are your precious DNA results. Congratulations! You’re officially Grace’s biological father. But you know what? It doesn’t matter anymore. A real father wouldn’t abandon his daughter over a paranoid suspicion. A real husband wouldn’t disappear and leave his family in panic. A real man wouldn’t hide behind notes and packages instead of having an actual conversation.
You wanted the truth? Here’s the truth: We don’t need you. I don’t want someone who could throw away eight years of love and trust because our daughter happens to look like my old friend. Grace deserves better than a father who could doubt her very existence. I deserve better than a husband who could think so little of me.
Don’t bother coming back. We’re done.
-Kathryn
A woman looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
I sent both the results and my letter to the address he’d provided. Then I blocked his number, called a lawyer, and started the process of filing for divorce.
That evening, as Grace and I sat coloring at the kitchen table, she looked up at me with those innocent eyes and asked, “Are you sad, Mommy?”
I thought about it for a moment.
“No, sweetie,” I replied, realizing it was true. “I’m not sad. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is say goodbye to something that’s not good for us anymore.”
She nodded sagely, in that way only four-year-olds can, and went back to her coloring.
A child coloring a rainbow | Source: Pexels
It’s been a week now, and I haven’t heard anything from Jordan. Maybe he’s ashamed. Maybe he’s angry. Maybe he’s relieved.
Honestly, I don’t care anymore. His disappearing act showed me exactly who he was, and his ridiculous demand proved what he thought of me.
Some people might think I’m being too harsh, cutting him out completely. But tell me, what would you do if someone you loved disappeared without a word, put you through days of panic and worry, only to demand a DNA test based on a photo resemblance? Would you take them back? Or would you do what I did and choose your own peace of mind?
All I know is that Grace and I are going to be just fine.
A woman sitting on the floor | Source Midjourney
If you enjoyed reading this story, here’s another one you might like: When Jake dismissed my request to attend his company’s annual party, I couldn’t shake the suspicion he was hiding something. Eventually, he reluctantly agreed — but from the moment we arrived, the icy stares and whispered conversations set me on edge. What I uncovered shattered everything.
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.
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