For seven years, I cared for Mrs. Patterson, an elderly woman abandoned by her own family. They visited just enough to take money before vanishing again, leaving her heartbroken by the window, waiting for love that never came.

She had wealth but no warmth, and over time, she became my family. We cooked, played games, shared stories—she was my home in a way no place had ever been.

Meanwhile, I had no family left. But with Mrs. Patterson, my life had meaning.

Recently, she passed away. At her funeral, her relatives shed fake tears, their eyes gleaming with greed. I went home, grieving… until a knock at my door changed everything.

Two officers stood there. “Are you the caretaker of Mrs. Patterson?”

A chill ran down my spine. “We need you to come with us.”

I stepped inside her house to find her entire family waiting—furious.

And then, her daughter Victoria pointed at me and screamed, “It’s her! She manipulated my mother! She planned this whole thing!”

My heart thudded painfully. “I… I don’t understand.”

The lawyer cleared his throat, his voice cutting through the chaos. “We are here to read Mrs. Patterson’s will. Her family insisted on getting it done immediately so they could return to their lives. And you, Grace, were mentioned in the will, hence your presence is requested.”

The lawyer unfolded the document and began reading, his voice steady and emotionless.

“To my children, I leave my forgiveness, for they have forsaken me long ago.”

Victoria’s face blanching. Her brother, Mark, scowled, his hands curling into fists.

“To my grandchildren, I leave my hope that they will grow to understand the value of love and loyalty.”

They exchanged confused glances.

“And to my Grace, who has been my caretaker, my friend, and my family… I leave everything, the house, the land, the money, all of it.”

The room exploded!

“This is a lie! She tricked my mother! She’s a gold-digger!”, Victoria yelled.

Mark lunged toward me, but the security guards stepped in, holding him back. “You manipulated her! This is fraud!”

I stood there, my heart racing. “I didn’t… I didn’t know… I never asked for any of this…”

The lawyer raised his hand, silencing the commotion. “Mrs. Patterson anticipated this reaction. She left proof—letters, photos, and records of the years she spent with Grace. She wanted it known that this was her conscious, unwavering decision.”

He handed me a box filled with photos—photos of us baking pies, playing board games, laughing over silly jokes. Letters in her delicate handwriting, recounting the bond we shared, the love she felt. I clutched the box, tears blurring my vision.

This was why she made me take all those photos, she’d anticipated what would happen upon her passing. The guards also finally made sense when the lawyer read one last instruction contained in the will:

Ensure that my caretaker, Grace, has security present when my family learns of my decision. I do not trust them to handle this with grace.

Victoria collapsed onto the couch, her face pale. “She… she left us nothing?”

The lawyer nodded. “She stated clearly that you abandoned her. This is her final wish.”

There was nothing else to discuss, so the guards promptly escorted the family out as they shouted protests, accusations, and threats. I watched them leave, hollow and broken, their greed consuming them from within.

The lawyer approached me.

“She loved you, Grace. She wanted you to have a home. A family.”

I sank to the floor, tears streaming down my face. “I loved her too.”

He put a gentle hand on my shoulder and said, “Then honor her memory by living in the home she cherished.” The notary then asked me to sign some papers and promised to be in touch after handing me the house key. Then they both left with the policemen.

I looked around feeling shocked, overwhelmed, and completely unprepared as I became the owner of the house.

Mrs. Patterson had given me more than a house. She had given me a family, even in her de-a-th. And as I stood there, holding the box of memories, I realized that she would always be with me—my friend, my grandmother, my home.

And her so-called family? They were left with nothing but their own regrets.