Old Lady Pretends to Be Dead to Determine Her Heir among Her Children

Agatha Stones was aware she was nearing the end of her life. At 83, she had raised four children before her husband, Rodney, passed away.

All her children had grown up and moved away to lead their own lives. Instead of feeling proud, Agatha felt a deep sadness.

Her children cared mostly about material things, ignoring feelings like love and compassion. Their desire for wealth had made them lose touch with their humanity.

Agatha had taught them values like kindness and empathy when they were young, but these lessons seemed meaningless compared to money, which they now chased.

On top of that, her children rarely called her. They always had excuses when she asked about it.

“Work has been hectic, Mom,” said her eldest, Brian.

“I was going to call, but I forgot,” said Sally, her second child.

The twins, John and Mary, both journalists, blamed busy schedules and overseas assignments.

Brian and Sally, now in their 50s, had families of their own. If work didn’t keep them busy, family responsibilities did. Agatha wished she could spend more time with her grandchildren—Sally had two kids, and Brian had one.

John and Mary, in their late 30s, were still single. Agatha worried about their indifference to time slipping by but avoided bringing it up.

She knew her kids were focused on building careers. She hoped they would remain kind and good-hearted. But it hurt that none of them visited her simply to spend time together.

One day, she shared her frustrations with her friend Sharon. “I don’t get why my kids won’t visit me,” she said. “They always have some excuse.”

“Is this why you’re upset?” Sharon asked.

“Yes,” Agatha replied. “They’ve always been like this, but now it’s worse. My lawyer says I need to write my will.”

“And that’s a problem?” Sharon asked.

“It is,” Agatha said. “I don’t know how to divide what little I have. I’m not even sure who deserves it.”

“I have an idea,” Sharon said with a grin.

Agatha hesitated before agreeing to hear her friend’s plan.

A few days later, Agatha faked a serious illness, claiming she’d had a heart attack and was hospitalized. Still, none of her children came to see her.

Then, they all received a message saying Agatha had passed away. Within hours, her four children gathered at her home to discuss dividing her inheritance.

“Can we focus on grieving Mom instead of fighting over money?” Mary, the youngest, finally shouted.

Her words caused a brief silence, but the buzzing of a phone ended it, and they resumed arguing about the inheritance.

Unbeknownst to them, Sharon was eavesdropping. After a while, she entered the room and announced it was time for them to say goodbye to their mother.

Brian went first. Instead of finding a coffin, he saw Agatha alive and well. She explained Sharon’s plan and urged him to value happiness over money. After their talk, he left without revealing anything to his siblings.

The same thing happened with Sally and John, who came out in tears.

Mary, noticing her siblings’ strange behavior, became suspicious. When she entered the room and saw her mother alive, she screamed with joy and hugged her. “I thought we lost you,” she cried.

Mary’s reaction moved Agatha. It showed her who truly felt pain over her supposed death.

“If I had to choose one person to inherit everything, it would be Mary,” Agatha later told her children. “But I believe in all of you. I hope this experience taught you something.”

Her words left them in silent reflection. “Because I trust you can change, I’ll divide everything equally,” she concluded.

That day marked a turning point. Her children began calling her often and visiting on weekends. Holidays became joyous family gatherings, filling Agatha’s heart with pride.

Fifteen years later, Agatha passed away, and her wealth was shared equally among her children. In her memory, they used the money to build a shelter where less fortunate people could celebrate the holidays together.