After Children Sell Her House, Old Lady Leaves Inheritance to a Neighbor's Son – Story of the Day

Emily sold her house after her children told her to, and she began living with her daughter. Although her children promised to take care of her, she was surprised to hear a conversation between them that caused her to start living with her neighbor instead.

"She's been here for months. It's your turn to take her in. My marriage can't continue to suffer!" Bea said while on the phone with her brother William. She didn't know that her mother, Emily Chen, was right behind the door and could hear what she was saying.

"Please, William. You said we'd take turns. You have to take her!" she said again. While Emily couldn't hear what her son was saying, she knew then and there that he didn't want to take her in either.

Almost a year ago, William and Bea went to Emily's house to ask for help. They were trying to expand their own businesses but lacked the money to do so.

Emily's children asked her to sell her house. | Photo: Shutterstock

At first, Emily suggested they take out loans from the bank. However, her children thought this was too big of a risk as they had mortgages to pay and college tuition to think about for their children.

Instead, they told their mom their big idea: that Emily could sell her home and move in with them so they could get the money from the house. Emily was hesitant, as she and her husband built it from the ground up. She was also not ready to let go of the memories the house held.

However, after much convincing from her children, she gave in. She moved in with Bea and her family, and soon after, the problems started piling up.

Bea asked Emily to sell most of the stuff in her old house, as her house was already furnished. Apart from some of Emily's personal belongings, Bea sold everything else on eBay, and Emily didn't get a cent out of it.

During her stay at Bea's house, she was never given any allowance, either. Luckily for her, she had her own savings that her children didn't know about.

Emily moved in with her daughter Bea after she sold the house. | Photo: Pexels

The same way Bea had issues living with her mother, Emily had her own issues living with her daughter's family as well. She found her grandchildren a bit too loud at times, and Bea's husband would always come home drunk.

Now that she'd overheard the conversation between Bea and William not wanting to be with her, it broke her heart. She returned to her room to get her bag.

"Where are you going?" Bea asked when she was about to leave the front door. She had clearly just gone down from talking on the phone.

"I'm heading out for a while," Emily responded, trying her best to fake a smile. Meanwhile, Bea looked relieved that her mother was leaving the house.

Emily got in her car and started driving around town. While she had no destination in mind, she ended up driving towards her old house. She parked across from it and watched the carpenters tearing it down. The new owners decided to completely rebuild the house.

Seeing her house being torn down brought Emily to tears. She didn't think much of it at first until she realized she had done everything for her children, and yet they wanted nothing to do with her.

Emily broke down in tears after seeing her old house being demolished. | Photo: Pexels

She cried in her car for several minutes, until someone knocked on her window. She jumped and looked out. "Emily? Why are you crying? Are you okay?" It was her next-door neighbor Cora.

"Hi, Cora. It's been a while. How have you been doing?" she replied.

"Why are you crying, Emily? Do you want to come in and have a cup of tea?" Cora asked. Emily nodded and proceeded to wipe her tears before leaving the car.

"I'm just a bit emotional seeing the house torn down like that. I didn't know they wanted to tear it down completely," Emily said, sniffling.

"Yeah, I heard from one of the carpenters they're building a big modern house. I'm sorry you had to see your old home in that state," Cora said as they got to the dining area.

Cora was a lot younger than Emily, but they got along really well. Emily spent a lot of time with Cora and her son, Thomas, who was now in college.

Every time Cora spoke about Thomas, Emily would always chime into the conversation. This time, however, it seemed she didn't want to talk about children. Cora could sense something was wrong, so she kept asking until Emily finally gave in.

Emily's neighbor, Cora, invited her over for a cup of tea. | Photo: Pexels

Emily ended up telling her about the conversation she overheard Bea and William having. Cora couldn't believe what she was hearing, especially after what Emily did for her children.

"I can't go back to a place where I'm not wanted, but I don't have my own house anymore," Emily sighed. "What disappoints me even more is that I feel like I didn't raise them well. They only care about money. What have I done?" she added.

"Emily, it's not your fault. There are just some instances where money blinds you. You and your husband did your best raising your two children. In fact, you inspired me to raise Thomas well, too! He sees you as his second mother," Cora responded, placing her hand on top of Emily's.

"That is so sweet of Thomas to think of me as his second mother. I loved taking care of him while you were at work," Emily said, smiling. "Those were the days."

Emily used to babysit Cora's son Thomas. | Photo: Pexels

Cora suddenly had a bright idea that she hoped Emily would not turn down. "How about you stay with me? This house is ours completely, and I have a lot of extra rooms. It's been lonely without Thomas here, too," she suggested.

At first, Emily was hesitant to accept. However, after Cora insisted a couple of times, she decided to agree. "I guess I just have to go back to Bea's house to get my things," she told Cora.

"Nonsense, you have everything you need here! And besides, maybe your daughter will realize her mistake quickly and pick you up herself," she said, preparing a room for Emily to stay in.

Cora was wrong. After a week of Emily staying with her, she had yet to receive a call from either of her children. So she called Bea and let her know she'd decided to move out.

In the end, Cora agreed to Emily giving her a bit of rent money, and they became official housemates. One day, Thomas visited her mother from college and was surprised to see Emily there.

While Cora was in the bathroom, Thomas said something Emily did not expect. "Aunt Emily, I know you probably think mom's doing you a favor, but you're actually doing ME a favor. Thank you so much for being here with mom. I've been worrying about her being alone, and now you're here. You're an angel," he said.

Thomas thanked Emily for living with his mom. | Photo: Pexels

For months, Cora and Emily enjoyed being housemates, and Thomas would sometimes join them for dinner during the holidays. He would bring them small treats and fix anything that needed repairs in the house.

Meanwhile, Emily's kids never visited her at all. After a year of living with Cora, she finally made the decision to cut ties with them. She transferred her inheritance to Thomas, with Bea and William getting all the things she left at Bea's house instead.

Emily smiled when she signed the paperwork at the lawyer's office. While she was bummed she wouldn't see her children's reactions when they find out about the will, she couldn't wait to get back home to Cora's place where Thomas was waiting to introduce his new girlfriend.

What can we learn from this story?

• You should never take advantage of your parents. While it's your parents' job to raise you, they should not be your only source of financial support.
• Respect your elders. Bea and William paid no respect to their mother despite her sacrificing so much for them, so Emily gave them a taste of their own medicine. Meanwhile, Thomas had always been respectful towards Emily so she decided to give him a special gift.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an elderly woman who sold her house to help her grandson.

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