During Cancer, My Wife & Daughter Left Me. Years Later, They Returned For $8m Inheritance, But…

Moving On

It’s been six months now since I’ve been declared cancer-free, and I believe I’m finally ready to move on with my life. I made a call to my old job, and they’re willing to re-hire me for remote work if I choose to return. I think I’ll take them up on the offer because I’m planning to move away. While I have an attachment to my house, there are too many painful memories here.

I yearn for a fresh start with something smaller. My wife doesn’t know it yet, but I’m planning to give the house to Cara. She came through for me when I was at my lowest, showing immense kindness even though we were practically strangers. She is free to sell it if she wishes. I no longer want anything to do with it, especially if it means my wife or daughter could lay claim to it.

My new place is in a quiet neighborhood in the countryside, and I’m eagerly looking forward to this new beginning.

Update Number One

Hey wife and daughter, it’s been over a year since my initial diagnosis, and I’ve settled into my new place and neighborhood nicely. There are plenty of friendly folks around here, and I’ve made friends with my neighbors, including Dorothy, who lives across the way.

She’s a widow who lives alone with her kids scattered across the country, visiting only during Christmas and her birthday. Dorothy invited me to her porch for drinks and conversation, and she shared the heartbreaking story of losing her husband to lung cancer. She emphasized how important life insurance was for her family’s financial security.

During our conversation, I opened up about what happened with my wife and daughter. Surprisingly, I still hadn’t heard a word from them, but I’ve come to terms with it.

Mysterious Visitors

I’ve been spending my time pursuing new hobbies, particularly woodworking, and I’m starting to build up a collection of tools. One day, when I returned from the hardware store, Dorothy informed me that she had noticed some people hanging around my house.

Fortunately, they didn’t do anything harmful or steal anything, but they did approach the door, knock it a few times, wander around the house, and eventually waited in their car. Dorothy considered calling the sheriff’s office but decided against it as she thought they might be family.

I asked her to describe them, and her description matched my wife and daughter. I couldn’t fathom how they had found my new residence, as only my brother and his wife knew my current address. It left me wondering why they were looking for me after leaving almost a year ago without looking back.

Stalking Patterns

Dorothy assured me that if they returned, I shouldn’t come out and she would handle the situation. Frankly, I had no desire to interact with them after they abandoned me when I was at my lowest point.

Later that night, I called my brother, who informed me that my wife and daughter had been harassing Cara and her roommate at my old house. Fortunately, Cara had documented proof that the house was now in her name, and she had explained that she had bought it for me. A smart move on her part.

I felt bad that Cara had to go through this ordeal because of my family, so I called her directly to apologize. Hopefully, the next time they come around, I can resolve the situation for good. As for my wife, I’m not sure if she’s aware of the unilateral divorce. My lawyer sent a copy to her mother’s house, but it’s possible they mistook it for junk mail. Regardless, I’ve reached a point where I no longer care. She and I are no more.

Update Number Two: The Return

My wife and daughter showed up at the house again, but this time it was earlier in the day while I was working. I heard the knock and decided to check the security cameras, and sure enough, it was them. My ex-wife looked just as I remembered her, but Layla had grown significantly; she was practically a young woman now.

I followed the plan Dorothy and I had discussed, staying inside but moving closer to the door to hear them better. Dorothy, ever the good neighbor, came over to greet them and introduced herself. My wife asked if she knew a man named Richard who used to live there. Dorothy sounded just as baffled as I was and questioned her use of “used to”.

My wife explained that her husband—not ex-husband—had lived in this house before his recent untimely death following an extended hospital stay. My jaw hit the floor at this revelation because, to my knowledge, there was no record of my death anywhere, especially not at the hospital where I underwent treatment.

The Assumption of Death

My wife went on to claim that they were the next of kin, implying that the home was rightfully theirs. Dorothy informed them that someone named Richard did live there for a while but clarified that he was a divorcee. She also shared that during our time as neighbors, I had informed her that my wife had left me and I had filed for a unilateral divorce.

Dorothy added that as far as she knew, I intended to bequeath all my assets to charity since I had no other family besides my brother. This was why she found it strange to see two women snooping around my house. The conversation fell into an uncomfortable silence before Dorothy inquired if they had a death certificate or a will. They replied in the negative.

Dorothy explained that once they had those documents, they could take them to the county’s record office. If they were indeed the rightful owners of the property, they could then get the deed in their name.