When Agatha’s husband, Richard, died, he left all his possessions to someone she never met, and Agatha inherited only a worthless old pendant. Then Richard’s strange heir appeared.
Agatha and Richard met in college and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Richard grew up. They hoped to have a big family, but it didn’t happen. After trying and failing to get pregnant for the millionth time, they gave up and decided to enjoy each other’s company.
It wasn’t so bad. Agatha had even read in the newspaper that many women were choosing not to have children and becoming career women. She and Richard had a vast farm with many animals and tons of work to do.
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“That sounds like me. I’m a career woman, not a mom,” Agatha thought after reading the article.
Richard never seemed particularly sad about not having children either, although he enjoyed seeing the few neighbors who came by for Halloween. They lived surrounded by other farms, and visiting a neighbor was a considerable walk. But it was still nice to have them trick-or-treating every year.
As the years passed, Agatha never regretted not trying IVF or adopting a child. They loved each other fiercely and had enough distractions with the farm.
Unfortunately, people get older, and soon enough, they had to hire people to manage the farm. After a while, they decided to move to a more suburban area of Milwaukee and enjoy the rest of their golden years.
They lived in this area for a few more years before Richard suffered an unexpected heart attack. Unfortunately, the doctors were unable to do anything, and he passed away. Agatha mourns the loss of her husband but is happy that their life was so extraordinary.
One day, their lawyer called her and asked to meet for a reading of her will. “Why, Mr. Perkins? We didn’t have any children or extended family. Why do we need to read the will?” Agatha asked him, confused.
“Please, Ms. Chambers. Let’s meet tomorrow in my office,” Mr. Perkins insisted. Agatha reluctantly agreed, wondering why their lawyer was so formal. However, she was about to discover something shocking.
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There was a middle-aged woman in Mr. Perkins’s office when Agatha arrived. She had no idea who this woman was, but the lawyer invited them both to sit down. He took out Richard’s will and began to read it.
“I, Richard Chambers, being of sound mind and body, do hereby give all my property and what remains in my bank accounts to Sue Raymond… to my wife of many years, I give my mother’s turquoise pendant,” Mr. Perkins read.
“I don’t understand, Mr. Perkins. Who is Sue Raymond? Why didn’t I know about all this?” Agatha asks, outraged.
“Mrs. Chambers, your husband wanted you to meet Sue,” Mr. Perkins explained, turning his gaze to the other woman in the room. “And that’s why I brought you here. I’ll leave you two to talk,” he added before leaving his office.
Agatha turned to the woman next to her. “I assume you’re Sue Raymond. Why are you receiving my husband’s money?” she asked.
“A few months ago, I discovered your husband on social media. He’s my father. We did a DNA test to confirm it and everything else. I’m Sophie Raymond’s daughter,” Sue revealed.
“Sophie Raymond,” Agatha whispers. She knew very well that Richard had been dating Sophie long before Agatha met him. He had told her she was his first love. “But I don’t understand. Richard would never have abandoned Sophie with a baby.”
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“That’s exactly the problem. My mother never told him he was pregnant. She left Milwaukee and didn’t even think to tell him. For years, she told me I was the result of a one-night stand. But a few years ago, I discovered some old love letters. I got curious, and well…”
“You wrote to my husband… I can’t believe he didn’t tell me,” Agatha finished. She couldn’t believe Richard hadn’t told her. She would have supported their meeting. “So you get our current house, our farm, and the money in his accounts.”
“I’ve never asked him for anything. But I have two daughters and a paid-for house, which is something I could never dream of. I really want that for my daughters. But we can share it. I’m okay with that,” Sue negotiates.
“Richard left you everything, so you keep everything except this pendant. Give me a few days to pack my things and leave the house,” Agatha added calmly. She got up and left Mr. Perkins’s office.
At home, she got to work and packed everything. Luckily, she had inherited an apartment in Tampa, Florida, where her parents had retired. It wasn’t part of her marital property and couldn’t be taken away from her.
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“It’s time to move to Florida like every other senior citizen in this country,” she muttered sarcastically to herself and continued packing. She grew tired after a while and sat down to admire the pendant that belonged to Richard’s mother.
It was turquoise but worthless. She looked at the photo of Richard on her nightstand sadly. “After all these years, you considered a strange child your family, and I was nothing,” Agatha whispered to the portrait.
“Ugh! Nasty thing!” she finally screamed and threw the pendant to the ground, forcing it open. It was then that Agatha realized it wasn’t a pendant at all. It was a locket. She picked it up and noticed a tiny note that had fallen out from inside. It read:
“Agatha, look in the office under the table.” Agatha frowned and went to her office. Taped under her desk, she discovered a key and a longer letter.
“Agatha, I know you probably hate me. But this is the key to the safe hidden under the Milwaukee landscape painting. Everything in it is yours. I know the fact that I have a daughter was probably shocking, but I didn’t know how to tell you.
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“We always dreamed of having children, but we’ve settled into our lives wonderfully without them. I didn’t help raise her, and she’s struggling financially, so I left her almost everything. But our mutual savings are in this safe.”
“I didn’t know if Sue would have other intentions and try to take those savings from you if I left them in the bank. So I closed that account and cashed in all that money. I also bought some gold bars. All of that is yours and is not part of the will at all. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Our life together has been wonderful. I’ve never regretted not having children. But I did feel guilty about not knowing about Sue. I hope you can understand. But let me be clear. You’ve been the best wife anyone could wish for. All my love, Richard.”
Agatha had tears in her eyes when she finished reading. This is really silly. Mr. Perkins could have written that Sue couldn’t touch this money, she thought. But alas, Mr. Perkins didn’t know anything about the extra money when she asked him.
“All I know is what Mr. Chambers wanted me to include in his will. In any case, Sue can’t touch anything in your accounts, Mrs. Chambers, because they were in your name anyway,” the lawyer explained. She was relieved.
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Agatha took the money, gold bars, and relevant documents from the safe. She finished packing and paid the movers in cash. Florida, here I come! Agatha rejoiced as she hit the road.
Ultimately, Florida wasn’t so bad. The weather was much better, and the community was so friendly. Sue friended her on Facebook and sent her pictures of her daughters running around the farm.
Richard made the right choice, thought Agatha, looking at the photos as she sat on her balcony overlooking the beach.
What can we learn from this story?
- You have to have a contingency plan. Richard made sure Agatha was taken care of, even if he did it secretly. But it’s always better to plan ahead.
- Don’t lie to your spouse. Your spouse is your partner, and you should trust them with everything, even if it’s something shocking like the appearance of a child you didn’t know you had.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
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This story is inspired by the daily lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to real names or places is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; it might just change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.
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