When Darin hears about a dark plot that threatens her mother’s happiness after her death, she has to decide whether to face the lie or keep her mother from realising how bad things really are. There is a fight in the family that could either forever strengthen or weaken their bonds.
Life is hard and always comes up with new shocks. This is Darin, and I want to tell you a very important story.
That person in this story is my mum, Vanessa. She is the nicest and most loving person you will ever meet. She is 55 years old now, and wow, she has felt a lot of different things over the years.
Let me quickly go over what was said. The love story between my parents was like something out of a Nicholas Sparks book, and they were married for 28 wonderful years.
They were everything to each other, but when my dad suddenly died of a heart attack, everything came to a terrible end.
It’s been fourteen years. It had a big effect on my mom, and it was hard for me to see her in so much pain. Mom thought it was time to try again to be happy after going through that sadness for a few years. Jeremy then walked into the scene.
Jeremy, who is fifty years old, has the charm and good looks of an older Hollywood star. He is steady, funny, and seemed to really care about my mom.
Seeing her smile around him was like taking a deep breath of fresh air. That was the first time in a while that I really saw her smile again.
In fact, that is the start of things. He seems almost too perfect, if you ask me. But the fact that my mom was happy again was what mattered, and seeing her smile made me feel a little better.
Over time, Jeremy really became a part of the family. He was there through good times and bad. He went to happy events like weddings and holidays as well as sad ones like deaths.
He was not only my mom’s friend, but he also took on the role of father figure for me, filling some very big shoes.
Last month, Jeremy made Mom a special dinner that shocked her. Mom made Jeremy’s favourite pancakes for breakfast the next morning, but that was not the only treat he got.
In our kitchen, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. The ring he gave her was beautiful.
Vanessa, I promise that I will always love you. “Would you be willing to marry me?”
Mom excitedly said yes. Jeremy then asked me to say that he was my father. Without a doubt, I agreed.
As honest as it gets, it was one of those perfect family reunion scenes you’d hope to see in a touching movie. But this is where things get interesting.
Like in movies, good times don’t always last. The next part could have been a script for a movie.
A week ago, something unexpected turned my whole world upside down. Just by chance, I heard some of Jeremy’s phone call.
“Yes, honey, that’s right.” Vanessa seems like a bad old hag to me. You already know why I’m going to marry her, though. Yes, I’ll see you in the morning. “He answered, “Take care, love.” His voice was filled with the same cheesy sweetness that he uses when he talks to my mum.
Was the whole thing a show? He had been playing with my mom’s feelings the whole time. I was very angry. OLD HAG? Really? You old man, that’s my mother!
I had to stop letting this person keep tricking my mother, of course. I chose to follow him the next day to see what he was doing.
It was impossible for me to know what to expect when I followed him to the suburbs. It was Aunt Emma, my mom’s younger sister. What in the world was going on?
I knew I had to be smart about this one. I didn’t want to rush in and talk to Jeremy and Aunt Emma right away, so I decided to wait.
It took a while for Uncle James, Emma’s husband, to show up. Everything I had heard I told Uncle James. He told me he would help me even though he was hurt. Our plan was made with everyone’s help.
My mum and I told her everything right away, thanks to Uncle James. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was telling my mum that the man she was going to marry was lying.
I showed her the pictures of Jeremy with his Aunt Emma and the recording of the awful talk he had with his aunt. It was tough to see, but she had to because it was proof beyond a doubt.
Mom was very sad. Just like that, her whole world fell apart. But she was glad I told her, and she thanked Uncle James for his support. We both wanted to make sure she knew the truth about us before we made any more promises to Jeremy.
We then planned a family get-together because we all agreed on what to do. We had planned another surprise, but this one was meant to be a party for my mum and Jeremy’s upcoming wedding.
We set the mood for the event by asking close family members from Emma’s and Jeremy’s families.
In the middle of the event, I took the chance to greet the couple. I played the tape of Jeremy’s talk so that everyone could hear it. Everyone raised their glasses and turned to face me. Jeremy and Emma looked as shocked as ghosts; they had no idea what was going on.
As Jeremy’s words rang through the speakers, the crowd fell into a dead silence. Emma looked like she was shrinking, and her eyes kept darting around so she couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Jeremy’s face turned pale and ghostly.
The room was frozen with fear for what seemed like forever. There was now a national scandal as well as a personal one. As soon as the recording started, people in the crowd started to whisper.
People in the family looked at each other with unhappy and confused looks. It was shocking to find out that Jeremy and Emma had been seeing someone else for almost seven years.
Even worse, after they tricked my mum into getting a divorce, they used a long-running scam to take her money and house.
There was a quick response. Jeremy and Emma were met with the anger of a family that had been ignored. One by one, family members turned away from them. There was no yelling or fighting; it was just a cold, hurtful rejection.
It was clear how embarrassed they were, so people avoided them right away and hurt their names for good.
After that, it was clear that mum was very sad. Her partner’s betrayal was bad enough, but her sister’s part in it? That hurt more than anything else.
Mom did find comfort in her choice to spend her whole life with her grandkids, even though it hurt. She told me that even though her heart hurt, it wasn’t closed off to love with the determination that only a mother could muster.
My mom wasn’t going to let this event change the way she thought about love forever. She told herself that she had a lot of life left to enjoy with her family and not dwell on the betrayal.
During one of many talks we had after the scandal, she told me. “Darin, love is still in my life. It’s here, with the kids and you. Maybe real love will come back at some point, and this time it will be right.
That’s all there is to it, my dear friends. I stood up for my mother and the honour of our family. I didn’t want to tell the truth, but I did. Looking back, I don’t regret it. What about everyone else?
Did I have the right to tell you about Jeremy and Emma’s plan? Would you have done something different if you were in my shoes? If anyone has been through something similar, please tell me what you thought and how you dealt with it.
Another story that will warm your heart: When Bree finds out that her boyfriend Noah secretly has lunch with her grandma every week, it changes how she thinks about love and family. There is a deep bond between them when they meet. Will her relationships with the two most important people in her life fall apart, or will this new romance make them stronger?
My boyfriend has lunch with my grandmother once a week, and I broke down when I found out why.
I always believe that things will work out in the end. Even though life has been hard at times for me, everything always works out in the end. I’m twenty years old, and my name is Bree. When I think back, I’ve been through a lot, but I’ve also met some truly wonderful people.
They loved me the most when I was a child. I got a lot of love and care because I was the only kid. Because my parents always stood by me, I had the best birthday parties, went to the best schools, and made friends who were like family.
Before putting me to bed at night, my mom would always tell me how much she loved me, and my dad would always tell me stories about his youth.
But when I was ten, everything in my life turned upside down. I remember that day like it was yesterday. My grandmother was taking care of me while my parents went to a different place for a family reunion. They hugged me even tighter before they left.
Later that evening, Gran and I were playing chess when we got the terrible news of an accident. An uncontrolled truck lost control on the highway and hit my parents’ car. Their plans didn’t work out.
When I lost them, it was like I lost a part of myself. But Grandma and Grandpa filled the hole my parents left right away. When I was with them, I never felt alone.
Granny would read me stories every night that made me feel like I knew more people. When we went to theme parks, Grandpa would push me up on the swings, making me feel like he could carry my weight.
Always gave gifts that showed how much they cared! But nothing was as caring and warm as they were. I loved those days with them because they were calm and carefree. They were my safety net and kept me from fully feeling the loss of my parents. Life felt whole again when Gran and Grandpa were there, even though it had scars.
What is life? Just when you think you have it under control, it throws you another surprise. It was another rough time for my grandparents and me a few years ago. Just as I was getting used to our routine, Grandpa died.
It hurt us a lot. It must have been very sad for Gran to lose her partner. For me, it was like losing a parent all over again.
Gran was great, even though she was going through a lot of pain. Even though she was sad, she never let it affect how much she loved and cared for me. She was my rock. There was something else strong about her. It made our friendship stronger still.
We were more than just a granddaughter and her grandma. We were a small family that helped each other through good times and bad.
Without a doubt, Gran is my favourite person in the world. The fact that she taught me and loved me makes me trust her completely.
Noah is the other one. We met at an art show about a year ago. Do you remember when you really clicked with someone? That was the case for us. After that day, it seemed like we had known each other for a very long time.
Noah is 23 years old, a few years older than me. He is truly amazing. His genuine kindness makes you want to make things better just by being around him.
We like a lot of the same things, and he is really nice and caring. When it comes to him, happily ever afters don’t just seem like fairy tales.
As our connection got stronger, I thought Noah should meet my grandmother, who is the most important person in my life. I really hoped that Mom would see what I did for him and maybe, just maybe, give us her blessing. On the other hand, life often puts us on the spot.
When I told Gran about Noah for the first time, I thought she might smile or make a snide comment, but her answer caught me by surprise. She was completely against it. We talked about how I should not think about serious relationships right now because I am still too young.
Gran, who loved me very much, told me to focus on my studies. Your customers can’t wait. You have your whole life ahead of you when it comes to heart issues.
It hurt, I’ll be honest. But hurting Gran or making her upset? I couldn’t deal with the idea. Because of this, I didn’t talk about Noah with her. Gran knew I was a focused and hardworking granddaughter, so she told me not to email him with heart emojis or meet him.
Gran’s worries could have gone in a lot of different ways, but Noah only showed what kind of person he really was. He didn’t get angry or think he was lied to. He hugged me instead and told me, “Bree, she only wants the best for you.” That’s great. We’re not going to rush; we’ll take our time.
Hearing him say it and seeing that he understood without even the slightest hint of anger made me love him even more. It was about respecting the wants and needs of my family as well as our own. That was very important to Noah.
Oh, college life, huh? It knows how to trick you very well. To keep up with all the projects and homework that kept piling up, I moved into an off-campus apartment.
With everything I had going on, seeing Gran or catching up with Noah became rare. We mostly talked through texts and the occasional FaceTime call we were able to make.
You have no idea how shocked I was when I finally had some free time and went to see Gran and saw something amazing.
Are you interested in what happened next?
