Brenda is baffled when her late son\u2019s wife denies knowing her and stunned when she visits her son\u2019s grave and sees her daughter-in-law\u2019s headstone nearby. She seeks answers from her son\u2019s best friend, but his suspicious behavior drives Brenda to unravel the mystery alone.Christopher was only 27 when he died in a tragic accident, leaving his mother, Brenda, to face an endless abyss of grief. Her world was shrouded in darkness following his death, and her health suffered. Now, after a year in a clinic, Brenda had traveled hundreds of miles to visit her son\u2019s grave. Bearing the weight of grief that no words can express, she got off at the metro station in the city where Chris had lived, died, and was laid to rest. As Brenda headed to the station exit, she saw a familiar face in the crowd: her widowed daughter-in-law, Harper. Brenda had planned to meet Harper<\/p>\n
after visiting the cemetery and now hurried after the young woman to surprise her. \u201cHarper! Harper? Wait a second!\u201d She patted the woman\u2019s shoulder from behind. \u201cI\u2019m not Harper. You\u2019ve got me wrong, lady!\u201d The young woman arrogantly brushed away Brenda\u2019s hand and rushed away. That\u2019s strange! Brenda thought. My eyes couldn\u2019t be deceiving me. She has the same eyes\u2026same hair color\u2026and voice. She is Harper!But the lady had vanished into the crowd. Brenda hailed a cab outside the station and headed to the cemetery. She was haunted by the encounter throughout her ride and couldn\u2019t understand why Harper had acted so strangely. \u201cMa\u2019am\u2026we\u2019ve arrived,\u201d the cabbie said as he pulled over at the cemetery gate, jolting Brenda out of her thoughts. The silence was haunting as Brenda searched the row of graves for Christopher\u2019s resting place. A wave of emotions washed over her when she found it. She broke into tears as she brushed her trembling hands on Christopher\u2019s tombstone. Disbelief surged through Brenda when her gaze shifted to the neighboring grave. The epitaph etched on the headstone horrified her. In Loving Memory of Harper. S. January 8, 1995 \u2013 December 3, 2020 Forever cherished, Forever missed. Rest in peace. <\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God\u2026Harper passed away last week and nobody told me?\u201d Brenda gasped, unable to believe her eyes. A haunting question immediately loomed in her mind: \u201cIf Harper is dead, then who was the girl at the subway?\u201dBrenda snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone raking dry leaves. The cemetery\u2019s groundskeeper was working nearby. Brenda approached him and asked if he could tell her about Harper\u2019s funeral. The guy lit a cigarette and sighed, exhaling a puff of smoke into the air. \u201cIt took place last week. It was strange\u2026 There weren\u2019t any mourners, just the funeral service employees. They brought the coffin, buried it, erected a simple headstone, and left. It wasn\u2019t even a proper funeral.\u201d \u201cDid anybody visit her grave after that?\u201d Brenda frowned. \u201cNot that I know of, Ma\u2019am,\u201d he replied. \u201cI work here all day and live on the grounds. I keep watch over the cemetery all the time and haven\u2019t seen anybody visit that woman\u2019s grave.\u201d\u201dAlright\u2026thanks,\u201d Brenda said and turned around. Nothing made sense to her. Curious to unravel the mystery surrounding her daughter-in-law and her demise, Brenda decided to meet Jake, her late son\u2019s best friend and business partner.Jake was caught off guard at seeing his best friend\u2019s mother unexpectedly standing on his doorstep, smiling at him. He invited Brenda in, but she could sense his uneasiness. When Brenda entered, she saw luggage in the living room, and she immediately asked Jake about his travel plans. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m leaving this state, Mrs. Sutton. Been a rough year since Chris passed,\u201d Jake said, a strange disappointment and worry etched on his face. \u201cThe company is bankrupt so I decided to move somewhere far away from all the mess I\u2019ve been dealing with.\u201d\u201dHow can the company be bankrupt, Jake?\u201d Brenda raised an eyebrow. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on? I saw Harper\u2019s tomb beside my son\u2019s grave. Nobody even told me she passed away! Tell me\u2026what happened to my daughter-in-law? How did she die?\u201d \u201cMrs. Sutton, I\u2026 I didn\u2019t want to disturb you. After Chris\u2019s passing, you were so disturbed and heartbroken. When I learned you\u2019d be spending a year in the hospital, I was afraid your condition might worsen if you found out about the company\u2019s financial crisis and what Harper did,\u201d Jake said, haunting Brenda further. \u201cWhat did Harper do, Jake?\u201d Brenda asked. \u201cI want to know everything.\u201dJake took a deep breath. \u201cWell, Harper inherited the company after Chris\u2019s death, but she declined to manage it because she didn\u2019t know anything about the business. So, by mutual agreement, I stepped in to manage the company because I was already Chris\u2019s business partner.\u201d \u201cHonestly, the business hit rock bottom after your son\u2019s death. We were on the verge of declaring bankruptcy when Harper suggested finding investors and taking out loans to revive the company,\u201d Jake explained. \u201cBut\u2026you said Harper declined any say in the business,\u201d Brenda said, her suspicions raised. <\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but we were all desperate to save the company. We agreed to Harper\u2019s idea. But just a week ago, Harper withdrew the five million dollar loan money and fled. The police started looking for her.\u201d \u201cOh, my God! Harper stole the loan money?\u201d Brenda gasped in disbelief. It was too hard to accept that her late son\u2019s wife had destroyed his hard work after his death.\u201dWe never expected her to backstab us like this, but she paid the price for her betrayal,\u201d Jake added. \u201cThe cops discovered a burned car that had crashed into a cliff near the woods. It was Harper\u2019s car. She met with a tragic accident and died immediately.\u201d \u201cWhat? Oh my God\u2026\u201d Brenda exclaimed. \u201cThe police recovered a woman\u2019s completely burned body with Harper\u2019s gold letter \u2018H\u2019 pendant. There were charred remains of hundred dollar bills. Everything else was incinerated\u2026the case was closed as accidental death.\u201d \u201cJesus\u2026Harper ruined everything,\u201d Brenda said. \u201cBut wait\u2026what about Christopher\u2019s hard work? It doesn\u2019t make sense that the company went bankrupt after he died.\u201d \u201cI understand your frustration, Mrs. Sutton,\u201d Jake said. \u201cBut circumstances spiraled out of control. Harper paid a heavy price for her actions, but her funeral was dignified. Many guests attended and everyone grieved her tragic death\u2026despite the wicked thing she did to all of us.\u201d \u201cHarper\u2019s funeral??\u201d Brenda grew suspicious. The cemetery groundskeeper had told her nobody attended Harper\u2019s funeral. Something seemed incredibly fishy to Brenda. Jake\u2019s anxiety and restlessness, coupled with his sudden decision to leave the city, fueled her doubts further.\u201dUh, when is your flight, Jake?\u201d Brenda asked. \u201cEarly tomorrow morning\u20266 a.m.,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cDo you mind if I stay here for the night?\u201d Brenda asked, a plan brewing in her mind. \u201cI\u2019m wary about renting a hotel room all alone for tonight in a strange city.\u201d Jake thought for a while but eventually agreed and showed Brenda to the guest room. Brenda put out the lights but never slept. Instead, she anxiously waited for Jake\u2019s bedroom lights to go off so she could search for a clue to help her connect the dots. Once Jake was asleep, Brenda headed to the living room and rummaged through Jake\u2019s luggage. Her hands trembled with a mix of anxiety and fear. What if Jake was pretending to be asleep? What if he caught her prying? The consequences haunted Brenda. But she was determined to unravel the truth.Brenda\u2019s search turned into her worst nightmare when she uncovered two fake passports hidden within a secret compartment. One featured a photograph of her supposedly \u2018dead\u2019 daughter-in-law, Harper, but under a different name. \u201cSarah? Oh, who are you trying to fool, Harper?\u201d Brenda muttered.\u201dJohn?\u201d Brenda\u2019s face twisted with suspicion when she saw Jake\u2019s photograph under a different name in the other passport. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on here? Are they involved in something deeper\u2026something I can\u2019t even imagine?\u201d She then found two plane tickets to London booked under the fake names. A weird sensation crawled up Brenda\u2019s gut.Jake and his accomplice, Sarah, who was actually Harper, were up to something foul. Something had to be done. She quickly put the luggage back as it was and hurried to the pharmacy at the end of the lane. Minutes later, she returned to Jake\u2019s house with sleeping tablets. Brenda was already in the kitchen making breakfast when Jake hurried downstairs at 5 a.m. \u201cGood morning, Jake! Have breakfast before you leave for the trip!\u201d Brenda smiled warmly. \u201cHere\u2019s your orange juice.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThanks, Mrs. Sutton, that\u2019s really kind of you.\u201d Jake sipped from the glass Brenda gave him. \u201cIt tastes\u2026uhm\u2026nice\u2026.\u201dAround twenty minutes later, Jake dozed off on the couch, just like Brenda had wanted. Harper couldn\u2019t fly without a passport and plane ticket, so now, Brenda had to wait for her to call or text Jake. \u201cWhat\u2019s taking her so long? It\u2019s 5:30,\u201d Brenda mumbled under her breath. Suddenly, Jake\u2019s phone rang, shattering the stillness in the room. The caller name, \u201cSarah,\u201d flashed on the screen. But Brenda never answered the call. Eventually, a message notification appeared. \u201cHow could you oversleep, idiot? Have you forgotten we\u2019re flying to London today? I\u2019m getting a taxi and coming to your house right now.\u201d \u201cCome\u2026I\u2019m waiting for you\u2026HARPER!\u201d Brenda grinned wickedly as she hid behind the front door. Around 30 minutes later, Brenda peered through the peephole and saw a taxi pull up outside. She quickly called the cops.The door creaked open, and Harper stepped inside. Brenda could not believe her eyes when she saw her face. <\/p>\n
Her daughter-in-law was very much alive! \u201cJake! Are you kidding me? Get up,\u201d Harper barked at an unconscious Jake lying on the couch. That\u2019s when a familiar voice spoke from behind, startling her. \u201cARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMEONE, HARPER?\u201d Brenda said, striking a hard blow to Harper\u2019s head with a vase. A startled Harper collapsed on the floor and blacked out. Moments later, Brenda heard police sirens and hurried outside. She explained the situation to the cops and showed them the fake passports and flight tickets. Jake and Harper were hospitalized and later transferred to the police station for interrogation. Jake refused to confess to his crimes, but Harper came clean when she learned her sentence could get cut off if she confessed the truth. \u201cWe bribed a morgue worker and stole a homeless woman\u2019s body. We put the body, wearing my gold chain, in the driver\u2019s seat of my car and set it alight\u2026Then we rammed the car from behind, causing it to fall off the cliff to make it appear like an accident.\u201d \u201cAnd what about the money you stole?\u201d The detective stared Harper in the eye.\u201dThe five million has been transferred to our new bank accounts\u2026we thought everything was covered\u2026the new passports, the bank accounts, the flight\u2026Jake and I thought we\u2019d get away with it. But\u2026\u201d Harper paused and broke down, burying her head in her cuffed hands.Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day. If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one, about a woman who sees her husband on vacation two years after she arranged his death in a car accident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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