Woman Inherits Only $300, Sees a Correction on Mother’s Will a Few Months Later – Story of the Day

Anne and George's mother died in 2015, and after paying several bills, she was left with only $300, while her brother got her car and house. She asked him for the car, and he agreed, giving him some paperwork that included her will. That's when she noticed something strange and discovered the truth.

"George, I know Mom gave you the car and the house, but do you think I could keep the car instead? You and Christina already have ones of your own," Anne suggested to her brother. Their mother died weeks ago, and they had divided all the assets.

Anne was to receive a sum of $10,000, but between fees and several outstanding bills, there was only $300 left. Meanwhile, her brother received the house and their mother's car. But George and his girlfriend, Christina, already had cars of their own, so Anne thought it would be alright to ask for this favor.

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Luckily, George agreed immediately. "Of course! We're not going to use it anyway, and this way, I'll feel like the division of assets is much more equitable," he said on the phone, with Anne hearing the smile in his voice. She was glad because she and her husband, Mark, didn't have a car, and her mother's sedan still worked perfectly.

Now, they needed to visit the DMV office. The clerk there told them they needed a copy of their mother's death certificate and the car's title. But it was also a good idea to include a copy of the woman's will just in case.

George brought all the necessary paperwork that day, and the clerk only skimmed through the will. "This is perfect. So the car will be in Anne Hanson's name, correct?" the woman at the DMV checked, and they both nodded eagerly.

“Thank you for doing this, George. You're a great brother," Anne said when they finished all the paperwork and the title was finally transferred to her.

"Don't mention it. It's only fair this way. You should probably keep all the paperwork, too, for safety,” George replied, smiling as they left the DMV office in Miami.

"Sure. Oh, so this is mom's will," Anne commented, skimming through the file. As George stated before, Anne was supposed to receive $10,000, and she understood why most of the money was gone before it reached her hands. Moreover, she knew their mother wanted to give George the house because Anne and her husband already had one.

The division seemed fair to her because she wasn't materialistic. All that mattered was that their dear mother was now gone, and they had to arrange paperwork afterward. But that was finally done, and they both could move on with their lives.

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***

Six months later, Anne and her husband were talking about something random after watching a show on television. It was coincidentally about a family that divided the assets of their loved ones, and Mark joked that Anne got the short end of the stick when her mother died.

"That's not fair. My brother really liked that house. It's fine this way," Anne told her husband.

"Still. He got way more than you. Maybe you should've divided everything in half," Mark continued.

"My mom wanted it this way," she replied

"Well, then. She loved your brother way more, I guess," he finished and went to the kitchen. But something about his words didn't sit right with her. Anne knew that her mother was a fair woman and would never favor her kids. But the idea that she was supposed to receive only $10,000 while her brother got everything else seemed odd now. Maybe she was in too much pain all those months ago to notice.

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Something in her gut told her to find the copy of the will. It seemed perfectly alright at first glance, but suddenly, she noticed something. There was a weird mark next to the dollar sign before the 10,000 dollar sum. It looked like someone had used liquid paper, let it dry, and used a copy machine.

She started to suspect her brother of foul play and felt guilty for it. But she told her husband about it. He suggested they find a lawyer, who told them they would need to see the original copy to determine if this was true.

Therefore, Anne sneaked into George's house when he was at work and ruffled through his files. She finally discovered the will and confirmed her suspicions. There was clearly liquid paper in the sum, and she used the tip of her fingernail to try and reveal the actual number. In the end, she discovered that she was supposed to receive $110,000.

Their lawyer said that this was serious business, and if her brother did this, he could be charged with a crime. Anne didn't want to do that. But she had to do something. First, she spoke to George.

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"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't touch Mom's will. She left you $10,000, and you should be grateful for the little you got because I had to pay for everything else. The taxes on this house alone are astronomical,” he sputtered when Anne suggested he had done something.

"I have the original will in my hands, George. I'm going to ask you one last time. Did you tamper with it? Did you cheat me out of Mom's money?” Anne questioned with a stern expression.

"Fine! I did it. What are you going to do now? Report me? That would be insane! I thought it was way too much money. Christina and I needed it to pay the taxes, and I deserved it more because I was already living with Mom by then," George justified and started sweating.

"You really think I won't do anything? You are a horrible person! You either make this right, or I will sue you. We already have a lawyer,” Anne declared, shocking George, who sputtered as she left his house.

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What can we learn from this story?

• Inheritances can destroy families. Some people will fight to the death for their loved one's estate, and it has serious consequences.
• Even your family members can lie to you. Don't blindly trust everyone, even if they are your dear family. You never know what they're thinking.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an older woman who discovered something behind a picture of her husband.

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