Daniel thought his life was perfect. He had a loving wife, a newborn daughter, and a family baptism to celebrate their joy. But everything changed when the priest held their baby and whispered, “This is impossible.” His words sent a chill through the church, unraveling secrets and causing Daniel’s world to fall apart.
I stood by the nursery window, watching the morning light shine through the lace curtains. It created a soft glow around Brittany’s crib. I couldn’t help but smile; this was everything I had ever wanted.
Daniel felt like the luckiest man alive as he looked down at his newborn daughter, Brittany. She was so peaceful and small; she was perfect. For years, he had dreamed of this moment—being married, becoming a dad, and living in a house he helped design. It all seemed like a dream when he first met Nadine in college.
He remembered how she caught his eye, sitting outside the library with her sketchbook. Daniel knew she was someone special. They fell in love quickly, and now, after five years of marriage, they had their little angel, Brittany, who had just turned four months old.
Daniel should have been happy, and he was, but lately, something felt off. Nadine had been quiet and distant, and he thought it was just the stress of being new parents and her freelance work. But it was wearing on him. He noticed her looking at Brittany sometimes with a tight expression, as if she was carrying a heavy burden.
Today was supposed to be a joyful day—the baptism of Brittany. Daniel hoped it would lift Nadine’s spirits. He turned to look at her as she slept under a blanket, hoping this special day would help.
When they arrived at the church, Daniel felt a sense of home. The old stone walls and the smell of incense were comforting. His family had been coming here for generations, and it was part of their story. Nadine walked beside him, holding Brittany, but she looked pale and didn’t say much. He assumed she was just nervous.
As they walked toward the altar, Daniel asked, “You okay?” She managed a tight smile and replied, “Yeah, just… a little nervous.” He squeezed her hand, thinking everything would be fine.
Father Gabriel welcomed them warmly, and the ceremony began with prayers and blessings. Daniel felt proud to be there with his family, thinking about how everything was finally perfect.
But then, when Father Gabriel took Brittany in his arms, something changed. The atmosphere felt heavy, and Daniel sensed something was wrong. The priest’s hands trembled, and he looked shaken.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Father Gabriel’s face was pale as he replied, “This is impossible… this child… she’s my brother’s.”
Daniel froze, unable to process what he had just heard. “What did you say?” he asked, his voice cracking with disbelief.
Father Gabriel explained that both he and his brother had a birthmark behind their left ear and that Brittany had it too. Daniel felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath him. Brittany was his daughter! He turned to Nadine, but she was backing away, her face as pale as a ghost, and then she ran out of the church without a word.
“Nadine!” Daniel shouted, but she didn’t stop or look back. The church was silent, and all he could hear was the ringing in his ears. Panic surged within him.
Father Gabriel tried to explain that it couldn’t be a coincidence, but Daniel couldn’t understand. Brittany was his baby. He chased after Nadine, feeling the panic grow.
When Daniel reached home, he found Nadine frantically packing a suitcase. “You’re not leaving,” he said coldly. “Not until you tell me the truth.”
Nadine kept packing, trembling as she threw clothes into the bag. “Daniel, I—”
“Is it true?” he demanded, anger boiling over. “Is Brittany not mine?”
She paused, and the room went silent. Slowly, she turned to him, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I never meant for you to find out like this.”
“Find out like this?” Daniel repeated, feeling heartbroken. “How did you expect me to find out? At her graduation?”
Nadine looked down. “I didn’t know how to tell you. It was a mistake. I was lonely, and Matthew… it just happened.”
“A mistake?” he laughed bitterly. “This is our whole life! Was it all a lie?”
She shook her head, sobbing. “I love you, Daniel. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“You’ve already destroyed me,” he whispered, feeling lost.
The truth hurt, and there was nothing left to say. Nadine, the woman he loved, had betrayed him. She took off her wedding ring and placed it on the nightstand.
“What about Brittany? Are you leaving her too?” he asked, stunned.
Nadine sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, but I’m not cut out to be a mother. I don’t even know where I’m going from here.”
Daniel couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but before he could respond, she was gone.
That night, Daniel felt hollow. He sat in the living room, staring at nothing while Brittany slept upstairs. He couldn’t understand how everything had fallen apart so quickly. One moment, he was the happiest man alive, and the next, his life felt like a lie.
Father Gabriel’s words echoed in his mind—“She’s my brother’s.” But when he thought about leaving Brittany, his heart ached. She might not be his by blood, but she was still his daughter. He had been there for her since birth, holding her, feeding her, and comforting her.
He went upstairs and quietly opened the door to her room. Brittany was so peaceful, her tiny chest rising and falling with each breath. He sat beside her crib, tears in his eyes.
“You’re mine,” he whispered. “No matter what, you’re mine.”
Daniel realized that love isn’t just about blood or biology. It’s about being there and giving everything you have. Brittany needed him, and he would never walk away from her.
“This is what God decided,” he murmured as he cradled her in his arms. In that moment, he knew he would see this through, no matter what.
Linda received her grandmother’s antique clocks while her covetous brother inherited the house, only to find out her share was worth nearly $200K
A greedy brother inherits a house and mocks his younger sister, who only gets five rusty old clocks from their late grandmother. Little did they know about what was hidden in those timepieces.
“Oh, so grandma called you as well?! I thought you’d be busy in the library…like a good little bookworm!” 26-year-old Brian scoffed at his younger sister Linda, 19.
She had just stepped down from the taxi. Fear filled her eyes as her heart told her: “Nothing will happen to grandma. She’ll be fine. She’ll live for a hundred years more.”
Brian and Linda had come to visit their 90-year-old granny Marlene. She had requested them to see her urgently.
“Sweethearts, I wish to see you one last time. I might not get another chance again,” Marlene had painfully told them on the call two days ago…
As Linda entered her grandma’s bedroom, she coughed, noticing that it was pretty dusty. Marlene was too old and sick to do things on her own. She hadn’t swept the floor, and Linda saw the ceiling was moldy due to leakage.
Linda opened the clock, and what she found inside would go on to change her life.
“Grandma!!” she ran and hugged Marlene, who was in bed. “Nothing will happen to you, grandma. Please don’t worry. God will not take you away from us because you are all that we have.”
Until a year ago, Linda lived with Marlene. She took good care of her and helped her a lot. She was even ready to turn down a life-changing scholarship but moved to the city to pursue her degree upon Marlene’s insistence.
Brian entered the room, coughing and grinning. “Damn…I’m allergic to dust! Grandma, didn’t you sweep and dust your room?”
He came closer and saw his grandma was sick and skinny. But he was least bothered and stood there, waiting to know why she had called them.
Marlene stared into Brian’s eyes as she clasped Linda’s shivering hands. The girl was pained to see her grandma so pale and her eyes lacking that once beautiful spark. They looked lifeless.
Marlene smiled, getting up gently, and took two envelopes from under her pillow. “Sweethearts, this is for you,” she said. “Please use it wisely. I called to give it to you.”
Brian and Linda opened the envelopes and found a wad of $5,000 in each.
Linda could not hold back her tears and ran out crying.
Meanwhile, Brian frowned. “Only this much? I thought you had more to spare. Fine, I have to go now.” He turned his back on Marlene and walked away without even thanking her.
The next day, Marlene was in for a surprise.
“Good morning, grandma!” Marlene heard Linda in her bedroom. She didn’t expect her to return.
She awakened as the girl undrew the curtains, shafts of beams lighting up the dark, dusty bedroom.
She was surprised to see Linda. She had thought the girl had left for the city where she studied and was a part-time librarian.
Linda walked over to Marlene with the envelope she had given her the previous day.
“I added the $4,000 I’d saved over the year. Grandma, remember you told me about your poor vision? I now have $9,000. We can now pay for your eye surgery.”
Marlene rose from her bed. She hugged Linda, tears streaking her face. “I knew you better, darling! But it’s too late for the surgery. I can sense my death nearing. I don’t want to waste this money when it can be used for something better.”
Linda wiped away Marlene’s tears and said she would live with her.
“I’ve taken a month off. I’m not going anywhere until I see that golden smile on your face, grandma.”
And Linda knew what she had to do to restore Marlene’s smile.
Having Linda around was of great help to Marlene. She didn’t have to worry about cooking for herself.
There were days when Marlene would eat stale bread for dinner when she never felt like making herself a nice meal. But after Linda came, she started feeling on her feet again. Marlene had never felt so relaxed and happy before.
One day, she heard strangers’ voices outside her bedroom and went out to check. She was surprised. Linda had spent the $9,000 on renovating the house and fixing the leakage.
“I knew you wanted to repair grandpa’s treasured house for a long time. Are you happy now, grandma?! I renovated it so that you see the beautiful house you once lived in with grandpa. Do you like it?”
Marlene was speechless. She walked to Linda as fast as her fragile legs could carry her and hugged her. Marlene had never cried like she wept on Linda’s shoulders that day.
Marlene often made a wish. “I want to die when I’m the happiest on earth!” A week later, her wish was fulfilled. Marlene died in her sleep, leaving Linda with more than a broken heart.
A couple of days after the funeral, Linda and Brian were called to the lawyer’s office regarding the late Marlene’s will they never knew about.
When they got there, they were told about another surprise inheritance.
“Mr. White, according to your grandma’s will, you’ll be getting her house. Here are the papers. Please sign them.”
Linda was startled. She was not jealous of her older brother, but it worried her because she had renovated the house, and Brian got it when he least deserved it.
“And Miss Linda, this is yours,” the lawyer said, pushing forward a box toward Linda.
“What is this?” she exclaimed and opened the box. She found five old vintage clocks inside. Brian burst into laughter and began mocking her.
“That’s hella insane and cheap!! Grandma left her house to me. She knew who deserved the best. You can decorate your rented apartment with these rusty clocks and cry over it, sis. Luck does not favor everyone!”
Distraught, Linda left for the city, taking the clocks with her. She never bothered to check them thoroughly until one day when she noticed an engraving on one of them.
“OPEN IT!” was etched in a beautiful cursive font on the metal.
Curious, Linda opened the clock, and what she found inside would go on to change her life.
“A note?” she exclaimed and picked a little scroll from the clock’s interior. She unfolded it and sat back, stunned.
“Never underestimate these rusty, old watches! They are 100-year-old classic timepieces that belonged to my grandfather. And they are crafted from rare, exquisite metal! Each piece is worth $40,000, my dear!” began the note.
Linda’s eyes filled with tears of joy as she read further.
“Everyone gets what they truly deserve, Linda! I’m glad you got only the best. With Love, Granny Marlene.”
Linda burst into tears as she held the vintage clocks close to her heart. They still functioned, and she could hear them tick close to her heartbeat. It felt as though her granny had not gone anywhere.
Linda chose not to disclose this to her brother.
“He is blinded by greed and thinks he got the best from grandma. Let him live with that assumption. Granny knew who deserved the best and I needn’t prove it to him!” she thought and kept the rare timepieces locked in her drawer.
What can we learn from the story?
Everyone gets what they truly deserve. Brian mocked Linda when she inherited only five old clocks from their grandmother. Little did he know that she had actually gotten what she truly deserved because each piece was worth over $40,000.
Love and accept your elders for who they are. You will be loved back a hundredfold. Linda loved her grandma unconditionally and cared for her without expecting anything in return. Ultimately, she inherited a surprise $200K worth of legacy after her granny’s death.
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