Rachel treasures the heirloom jewelry her late mother left her, until one day she finds the box empty. With a confession from her husband, Rachel realizes that’s only half the truth. When she spots her mother’s earrings on another woman, all the puzzle pieces connect…
Now
I went to the store that morning for milk, chicken, and raspberries. An odd combination, but it was what I needed. The milk for coffee and cereal, the chicken for tonight’s dinner, and the raspberries for the raspberry and white chocolate muffins my husband loved.
A woman standing in the aisle of a grocery | Source: Midjourney
I went into the store hoping to get my groceries, but I left with a truth that I didn’t know needed to be revealed.
She was standing in the dairy aisle, our neighbor. Young, blonde, and recently divorced. She was looking at the various yogurt options, smiling like she didn’t have a care in the world. And if I’m being honest, she probably didn’t have any cares.
And hanging from her ears were my mother’s earrings.
A woman looking away at a grocery | Source: Midjourney
My breath caught in my throat. A sick feeling curled in my stomach. My hands clenched around the shopping basket so tightly that I was sure they were white.
No. No bloody way.
I forced my voice to stay light and breezy as I approached her.
“Mel, hi! Lovely earrings!”
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
She beamed, touching them delicately as if they were the most priceless things in the world. They were.
“Oh, thank you, Rachel! They’re a gift from someone special, you know.”
A gift. From someone special. Someone married?
The world tilted slightly. I swallowed the burning rage rising in my throat. Mel looked at me for a moment, and I wondered if the guilt was eating at her. She didn’t act like it, but something had dimmed her shine in that moment.
“Oh, they’re simply beautiful,” I said, smiling through my gritted teeth. “But didn’t it come with a pendant and a bracelet? What a stunning set that would be…”
A pair of earrings in a box | Source: Midjourney
She blinked at me, confusion all over her face.
“I definitely would if I had those pieces. But I don’t. It’s just the earrings. But maybe my special someone can gift me the whole set.”
The ground steadied beneath me.
There it was.
Derek hadn’t just pawned my mother’s jewelry. He had gifted part of it to his mistress.
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
It was a selfish, well-thought-out plan.
Except he hadn’t planned on one thing.
Me.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
Then
I had been vacuuming under the bed, lost in the monotony of housework and a nagging nursery rhyme that was stuck in my head, when I spotted the box.
Something made me pause. Maybe it was instinct. Or maybe grief had sharpened my senses.
I bent down, picked it up, and opened the lid.
Empty. The box with my most prized possessions was empty.
A woman vacuuming | Source: Midjourney
The air left my lungs. The annoying nursery rhyme flew out of my head. And just like that, the shock hit me across my face.
My hands trembled as I stood up, my knees weak. I scanned my bedroom like the earrings, pendant, and bracelet might miraculously reappear before my eyes.
But they didn’t. Of course, they didn’t. Wishful thinking didn’t work like that.
There was only one person who I had shown the box and the priceless things inside. But would Derek… Was he actually capable of taking my things? Maybe he had put them away, knowing the importance that they held.
Maybe he had put them into our safe deposit box at the bank. But even if he did, why on earth wouldn’t he tell me?
An empty wooden box | Source: Midjourney
“Derek!” I stormed into the living room, where he was lounging with his laptop.
He barely glanced up.
“What, Rachel? It’s too early for this noise.”
“My mother’s jewelry. Did you take it?”
His brow furrowed like he was truly thinking.
A man using his laptop | Source: Midjourney
“No, maybe the kids took it. You know they’re into dressing up now.”
My stomach twisted again. Why would my children take something from my room? They probably didn’t even know about the box. And I was planning on passing down the jewelry to the girls anyway.
But still, kids have keen eyes. Maybe one of them saw something.
I turned and marched straight to the playroom, where my three kids were sprawled on the floor, lost in their toys.
A cozy playroom | Source: Midjourney
“Nora, Eli, Ava,” I said, almost breathless. “Did any of you take the box from under my bed?”
Three pairs of wide, innocent eyes blinked up at me.
“No, Mommy.”
But Nora hesitated. My eight-year-old, my oldest baby. The most sensitive and honest of the three, and the one most likely to give you a snuggle when you needed it.
She would tell me what she knew.
A little girl | Source: Midjourney
“I saw Daddy with it,” she said. “He said it was a secret. And that he would buy me a new dollhouse if I didn’t say anything.”
A sharp rage sliced through me.
Someone had stolen from me.
And that someone was my husband.
A dollhouse on a table | Source: Midjourney
I spent a long time with the kids, trying to figure out my thoughts and feelings while they played. Eventually, I had no choice but to confront him.
“Derek, I know you took it. Where is it?” I asked.
He let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples like I was the problem here.
“Fine, Rachel. I took them.”
I blinked slowly.
A man sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Why?” I asked simply.
His voice took on that tone of his that I absolutely hated. The slow, condescending tone that had always made my skin crawl.
“You were so sad after your mom died. I thought that a vacation would cheer you up, Rachel.” He picked up his beer can and took a long gulp. “So, I pawned them and bought us a trip.”
My fists curled. My vision blurred. I was… beyond shocked.
“You pawned my mother’s jewelry?! My dead mother’s things!”
The interior of a pawn shop | Source: Midjourney
“Rachel, we’re struggling! How can you not see it? Or do you choose to ignore it? The mortgage, the bills… I wanted to do something nice for you and the kids.”
White-hot rage filled me. I was ready to burst.
“Where. Are. They?” I spat out. “You had no right to do that without asking me, Derek! Return them. Now!”
He sighed dramatically.
An angry woman | Source: Midjourney
“Okay, I’ll return the tickets. I’ll fix it if you want everyone to be as miserable as you are. Seriously, Rachel, the kids see it. It sucks.”
I turned away before I did something I’d regret.
Miserable? Of course, I was miserable. I was in pain. I was hurting. My heart felt shattered and stamped upon, and my mind was a cemetery of memories.
My mother had died. And with that, my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the person who had loved me most in this world.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
It had only been two months without her. And this man was putting a timeline to my grief?
What the hell? Who had I married?
I missed her so much. Which was why Derek’s actions had hurt me so deeply. My mother’s jewelry was like a lifeline she had left behind for me. It was something physical, something that I could hold or put on when I needed her touch…
I remembered how she didn’t want me to become a stay-at-home mom.
A tombstone with flowers | Source: Midjourney
“Darling,” she had said, buttering a slice of homemade bread. “You have so much potential. As rewarding as being a stay-at-home mom is, are you sure it’s for you?”
“I don’t know, Mom,” I confessed. “But Derek said that we can’t afford a nanny, so it was either I become the nanny or I pay for one.”
“Promise me one thing, Rachel,” she said. “Keep writing your poetry, darling. Keep that side of you alive.”
A woman writing in a notebook | Source: Midjourney
My heart ached thinking about her.
But do you know what?
The next day, while shopping, I found out that the truth was even worse.
Now
I smiled at Mel in the grocery store, pretending to listen to her rave about Greek yogurt and chia seeds for breakfast.
A bowl of yoghurt and chia seeds | Source: Midjourney
“It really is the best breakfast, Rachel. It cleans out the gut and gives you more protein than eggs. Add some honey or chocolate chips, girl. Trust me,” she spoke fast, as if trying not to think or say anything that would give her away.
I smiled like I wasn’t seconds away from ripping those earrings off her ears.
She had no idea. She had absolutely no clue she had been part of my husband’s betrayal. Or did she? From the way she acted, I didn’t think she knew the value of it. In her eyes, she was standing in front of her boyfriend’s wife and using the expensive gift he had bought her.
So, I made a decision.
A woman in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
I was going to take back what was mine.
And I was going to make Derek pay.
Big time.
The next morning, I played the part of the forgiving wife.
I was quiet, reciting Shakespearean sonnets in my head. I made pancakes for the kids. I made French toast for Derek. But I couldn’t get my encounter with Mel out of my head.
He was relieved, smug even. I’m sure he thought that I had slept on it and had finally let it go.
“It’s good to see you so chipper, Rach,” he said. “You know I love that smile.”
I wanted to slap him.
Pancakes and strawberries on a plate | Source: Midjourney
Focus on Shakespeare, Rach, I thought to myself.
“Derek, can I see the pawnshop receipt?” I asked, pretending that I just wanted to make sure everything could be bought back.
He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically but eventually handed it over.
“Nora,” I called, watching her pick at her pancakes. “Do you want to come with Mommy today? We’re going to look for Grandma’s jewelry.”
A smiling little girl | Source: Midjourney
“Yes!” she said excitedly.
I wasn’t sure about taking my child to a pawnshop, but if I’m being honest, that little girl was the only thing that would keep me calm.
We got ourselves dressed and found ourselves standing outside the pawnshop.
“We’re buying the jewelry, Mom?” Nora asked.
“Indeed we are, baby girl,” I said.
The exterior of a pawn shop | Source: Midjourney
And just like that, I went in and tracked down my mother’s jewelry. It wasn’t difficult, but I had to convince the owner that it was mine.
“It would make a good anniversary present for my wife,” he said. “But you look like you’re going to cry your little heart out.”
“It’s my mom’s, sir,” I said. “Please.”
I think he was more floored by being called sir that he just gave it over, not even trying to exploit me with the price.
A man in a pawn shop | Source: Midjourney
I kept the receipt. For later.
There was only one piece left.
The earrings.
The ones that Derek’s mistress had been flaunting.
Earrings in a box | Source: Midjourney
I knocked on her door, and when she opened it, I held up my mother’s will, specifically reading out that the jewelry was mine. I also had a picture of her wearing the set at her wedding.
Then, I showed her the necklace and bracelet I had reclaimed.
“These are part of a set,” I said. “They’re family heirlooms, and I need the earrings back. They were not Derek’s to give.”
Her face paled, and her jaw dropped.
A woman standing in a doorway | Source: Midjourney
“Rachel… I had no idea,” she stammered. “I thought it was a gift from Derek. I didn’t know that it was yours! I had no idea that it was your… mother’s.”
She looked down, something shifting in her expression. Disappointment. Then realization.
“I should have known,” she muttered. “I thought he was being sweet and romantic… but,” she trailed off, shaking her head.
Then, without another word, she ran into her house, returned with the earrings, and placed them in my outstretched hand.
Earrings in a woman’s hand | Source: Midjourney
“Here,” she said. “These don’t belong to me. And honestly, neither does Derek. But he doesn’t belong to you either. Rachel, if it was this easy for him to get with me…”
I knew what she was saying. I understood it loud and clear.
“Hell hath no fury…” I said. “I know. I’ll deal with him.”
“Rachel, I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. It was just that Derek gave me the attention that I craved. This divorce… it took a part of me when it ended. I don’t know who I am without my husband. Ex-husband, I mean. Derek swept me off my feet and made me feel normal again. I’m so sorry.”
I looked at her and smiled. I knew what it felt like to have a part of me missing, but mine was due to death and grief, not cheating.
“Thank you for saying that, Mel,” I said, turning away.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
Later
I waited until he was back at work and the paperwork was finalized.
And then I took the divorce papers to his office and handed them to him in front of his boss and coworkers.
“You shouldn’t have given away my things, Derek. I mean, really. You gave my mother’s earrings to your mistress?” My voice was louder than I expected. “You stole from me. You betrayed me. And that’s your final mistake in our marriage. This cannot be fixed. I don’t want you.”
A man sitting at his desk | Source: Midjourney
Then, I turned and walked away.
He begged, of course.
But I was done.
He had taken the last piece of my mother I had left. He had lied. He had brushed off my pain. And he had betrayed our family.
And now? That man has nothing. Between alimony and child support, he had little to nothing left to his name.
A woman walking down a hallway | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
When Dorothy reads her daughter’s innocent letter to Santa, she’s blindsided by a request for the same heart-shaped earrings her husband apparently gave their nanny. Suspicion spirals into doubt, leading Dorothy to uncover a heartbreaking truth tied to a long-kept secret…
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Old Man Sells Shabby Suitcase, Everyone Ignores Him except Lame Boy Who Agrees to Buy It — Story of the Day
A boy goes to the flea market to buy old music tapes, but he takes pity on an elderly man selling an old suitcase, and that act of kindness changes his life.
Martin Farmer’s life wasn’t easy and it contained few pleasures. He was seventeen years old, but he was already carrying a heavy load of responsibility. His mother was ill, and his father had passed away two years before, leaving him as the man of the house.
Shortly after that, a motorbike accident had left Martin with severe injuries to his left leg, which ended his brilliant football career, and he had been counting on football to pay his way through college…
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Money was short so Martin worked after school every day and all day Saturdays to make ends meet and help pay for his mom’s medication. Once in a while he took $5 out of his savings and went to the local flea market to look for old music tapes from the 80s and the 90s.
Those monthly trips to the flea market were his only pleasure — his only hobby. That Sunday, Martin was recovering from a particularly hard week. He had worked hard, but his mother’s medical bills had come in the mail.
His week’s paycheck wasn’t enough to keep the wolves at bay forever, Martin knew that. He and his mother had a heated argument on Saturday night. He wanted to quit school and work full time, but his mother disagreed.
This morning he got up early, made her breakfast, and then headed out for the flea market. At least for a couple of hours, he’d stop thinking about his problems.
It was a beautiful morning so the fair was full of people browsing through the trash and treasures of other people’s lives, and Martin headed for one particular vendor he knew well.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
He was standing by the man’s table, going through a treasure trove of old tapes when an old man arrived and set up a pile of old bags and suitcases next door. The man immediately started advertising his wares:
“Suitcases, bags, and briefcases!” he cried in his old cracked voice, “Five dollars apiece, best bargain of your life!”
A woman passing by stopped, looked, and sniffed. “Old junk is what you’ve got! There’s so much mildew on that suitcase it will probably fall apart!”
“Go on, lady!” the old man wheeled. “Help an old man out! I’m clearing out my old treasures and I can sure use the money! Things are tight…”
Another man walked past and nudged a briefcase with his foot. “Old man, I wouldn’t even give a dollar for this piece of trash! You’re not going to sell anything!”
Miracles are found where and when we least expect them.
The old man shook his head. “You’re wrong. The right person will come along because this here is a suitcase full of hope,” he said. “Cause it looks like a suitcase to you, but I promise you, it’s a dream come true!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Martin smiled. He turned to the man and said, “I could use a lot of hope right about now! How much for the dream come true?”
“Young man,” the old man said smiling happily. “This here marvel is 100% genuine leather, made in the 1930s, and it can be yours for only $5!”
Smiling, Martin fished in his pocket for his single $5 note and handed it to the man. “Here you go,” he said.
The man was smiling hugely, and he grabbed Martin’s hand. “You’re a kind boy,” he said. “And you deserve what you’re getting!”
Martin laughed, picked up the old suitcase which was a lot heavier than he’d imagined, and waved a regretful goodbye to the music man. “Next time!” he promised and headed home for lunch.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
When he arrived home, his mother complained about the suitcase right away. “Martin! Did you have to buy junk? We have enough of that! Put it in the garage or it will fill the house with dust!”
Martin obediently carried the suitcase into the garage. He was about to place it on top of an old table when he once again noticed how heavy it was. He opened the suitcase and was surprised to see that it was filled with packages wrapped in newspaper.
Curious, he ripped the newspaper and found a wad of $20 bills! Quickly Martin unwrapped the other packages. It was all money! Thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars!
Martin screamed for his mother and she came running. She was speechless at the sight of the piles of money. She didn’t complain about the dust…
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
That night, Martin and his mom counted and recounted the money. There was $300,000! “There’s enough for the medical bills, and the medication…” said Martin.
“Oh, and for college,” said Martin’s mom. “And maybe then we pay off the mortgage…”
“But mom,” Martin said softly. “It’s not our money. The man sold me this suitcase for five dollars and he looked very poor. I’m sure he didn’t know about the money.”
Mrs. Farmer carefully put all the money back in the old suitcase. “In that case, you have to find him, Martin,” she said. “And give it all back to him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Over the next three weeks, Martin haunted the street markets and flea markets looking for the old man, but he was nowhere to be found. Then one day he saw him at a bus stop, carrying another old suitcase.
“Wait!” Martin cried. “Listen, do you remember me? You sold me an old suitcase? I have to give it back to you!”
“Give it back?” asked the old man. “I don’t want it back!”
“Please, you don’t understand,” Martin said. “The suitcase was full of money, your money!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
The old man started laughing. “I know THAT!” he said. “Do you remember what I told you? The suitcase was full of hope and dreams come true. That’s what it’s for. Use it well.”
The old man turned and started to walk away, but Martin ran after him. “But I thought you were poor!”
The man smiled. “No, son. I’m a man who spent his entire life making money and now I find I have more than anyone should have. So I give it to those who are kind enough to help those in need. And that’s you!”
Martin went home and told his mother the old man’s story. They decided to use the money to help her get well and to pay for his college, and from that day on, they included the Suitcase Man in their prayers.
What can we learn from this story?
- Miracles are found where and when we least expect them. Martin and his mother were at the end of their rope when they found the money in the suitcase.
- Acts of kindness are always rewarded. Martin spent his precious $5 to help a man he thought was poorer than he was and received a gift that made his dreams come true.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a young waitress who gave an old homeless man free meals after she recognizes his old broken-down western boots.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
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