Growing up, my father was the kind of man who believed in the power of a handshake. He believed that a man’s word was his bond, and trust was something earned, not given lightly. Dad drove the local bus for years and was known around town for being fair, kind, and hardworking. He taught me that integrity and honesty were the most important things in life, and that’s how I grew up—believing in people, trusting their word, and hoping for the best.
When I met my husband, Mark, I thought he was cut from the same cloth as my father. He came from a modest background, talked a lot about how much he respected people who worked hard, and always presented himself as someone you could rely on. In the early years of our marriage, I believed that we shared those same values—honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. But I soon learned that not everything is as it seems.
About three years into our marriage, Mark started talking about wanting to open his own business. He had always worked in various odd jobs, but he said his dream was to run something of his own—specifically, a small construction company. I supported him fully, but there was a problem: we didn’t have the money to get it off the ground. We had savings, but it wasn’t nearly enough to cover the startup costs.
Mark seemed stressed for weeks. He would stay up late at night going over business plans, researching equipment, and figuring out how to make his dream come true. Then one night, he came up with what he thought was the perfect solution: he suggested asking my father for a loan.
At first, I was hesitant. My dad had worked his whole life, saved up his money for retirement, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about asking him to lend such a large amount. But Mark insisted. He said he just needed $30,000 to get started, and he promised he would pay it back as soon as the business became profitable.
I still wasn’t convinced, but Mark assured me this was his big break. He said, “Look, I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t believe in myself. I know I can make this business work, and I’ll pay your dad back, no problem.”
So, I agreed, and together we approached my dad. I explained that Mark had a solid business plan, and although my father was hesitant at first, he eventually agreed to loan us the $30,000. He didn’t even ask for a contract—just a handshake and a promise that Mark would repay him within two years. My dad trusted us, trusted me, and believed that Mark would keep his word. That was the kind of man he was, always putting faith in people.
The loan was made, and Mark dove headfirst into starting his business. He bought equipment, hired a small crew, and began taking on jobs. For a while, things seemed to be going well. The business started bringing in money, and Mark was proud of what he had built. He was busy, but I was happy that he was living his dream.
But as the months went by, something started to change. The business wasn’t growing as fast as Mark had hoped, and the profits weren’t as high as he’d projected. He started working longer hours, becoming more distant, and growing more irritable. Whenever I brought up the loan from my father and asked when we would start repaying him, Mark would brush me off with vague responses like, “Soon, don’t worry about it,” or “I’ve got it under control.”
Two years passed, and not a single dollar had been repaid to my father. I was starting to get anxious, especially since my dad had never once brought it up. I knew he trusted us to do the right thing, but it was becoming increasingly clear to me that Mark had no intention of paying back the loan anytime soon.
One evening, I decided to confront Mark directly about it. I told him we couldn’t ignore the loan any longer, that it was time to start paying my father back. But to my shock, Mark responded with something I never expected: “What loan?”
I froze. I thought I had misheard him.
“The loan,” I repeated. “The $30,000 my dad gave us for the business. It’s been two years, Mark. We need to start paying him back.”
But Mark just shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “There was no loan,” he said. “Your dad gave us the money as a gift. He never expected it back.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I knew that wasn’t true. My father had made it clear that it was a loan, not a gift. We had all agreed on that. But here was my husband, denying the deal ever happened. I felt like the ground had shifted beneath me.
I tried to reason with him, reminding him of the conversations we’d had with my dad, the promises he made. But Mark just dug in deeper, insisting that I was mistaken, that my father had never expected the money to be repaid. I knew he was lying, but I didn’t understand why. What had happened to the man I thought I knew?
Days turned into weeks, and Mark continued to deny the existence of the loan. I was stuck in the middle, torn between loyalty to my husband and the knowledge that my father had been wronged. I couldn’t stand the thought of my dad, who had worked so hard his whole life, losing $30,000 because of my husband’s betrayal.
Finally, I decided to confront my father. I sat down with him, heart pounding, and told him what had been happening. I expected him to be angry or disappointed, but to my surprise, he just smiled sadly and said, “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t want to pressure you. I trusted Mark, but I also trust you. You’ll do what’s right.”
His quiet faith in me broke my heart. I knew then that I couldn’t let this go. I couldn’t let Mark get away with betraying my father’s trust, and I couldn’t let my dad lose that money without a fight. So, I came up with a plan.
I knew Mark’s biggest weakness was his pride. He loved the idea of being seen as successful, and he hated the thought of anyone knowing that he wasn’t doing as well as he pretended. So, I told him I was pregnant. It wasn’t true, of course, but I needed to push him into action. I told him we needed to start saving for the baby, that we couldn’t afford to keep delaying our financial obligations.
Mark panicked. Suddenly, he was scrambling to find money, selling off parts of his business, even borrowing from friends. He managed to come up with $50,000, thinking it was for our future child. But when he proudly showed me the money, I told him the truth.
I wasn’t pregnant. The money was going to my father to repay the loan, and the rest would be mine for the trouble he had caused.
Mark was furious, but there was nothing he could do. I handed the $30,000 to my father, and the remaining $20,000 I kept as compensation for the stress and heartache I had endured. I left Mark shortly after that, realizing that the man I had married wasn’t the person I thought he was.
In the end, my father got his money back, and I walked away from the marriage, wiser and stronger. The experience taught me a valuable lesson: trust is something that should never be taken for granted, and when someone breaks it, there are consequences. Mark may have thought he could lie his way out of the deal, but in the end, I made sure he paid the price.
Little Orphan Prays in Church for Mom to Come for Him, ‘I’ll Take You,’ He Hears One Day – Story of the Day
A little orphaned boy cries in church, begging God to send his mother to take him. The next minute, he turns pale when a voice answers from behind, saying, “I’ll take you.”
A string of untold emotions is attached to kids abandoned by their parents. Six-year-old Alan was one such neglected child who yearned to see his mother but never got that chance.
One day, in a serendipitous encounter in church, little Alan’s world shifted. He was crying, begging God to send his mom to him, telling God how different his world would be if his mother were with him.
Amid his loud cries and heartwarming argument with God, a strange voice spoke up from behind, offering to take him…
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
“Dear Jesus, they say you hear everything. My guardians in the foster home told me to knock on your door and ask for everything I needed. I want my mommy. Can you please send her to me?”
“Alan, my boy! I’ve come for you. I’ve come to take you home.”
Alan cried as he folded his hands in prayer and stared at the crucifix. His eyes were painfully red, and his soft, pink cheeks were wet.
“My nanny told me you answer everyone’s prayers. Then why aren’t answering mine?”
The vestibule echoed with Alan’s loud cries. He was heartbroken. He did not want to return to the shelter, where kids often poked fun at him. They constantly taunted him saying his mom would never return and he had no choice but to wait for someone to adopt him.
“Nobody would be interested in taking a crybaby like you home,” were some of the harshest things he heard from fellow kids in the shelter. Alan cried his heart out that day, demanding God for an answer.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
“Alan, shhh!” his guardian, Nancy, interrupted. “It’s a church. Be quiet, and don’t cry. People are watching you. Please calm down.”
Alan tried to control his tears. He kept staring at the crucifix until he saw a woman with a child enter the church. He could no longer hold back his tears and started crying again.
“Jesus, you’re not answering me. Please, I want to be with my mommy like that girl. Nanny, why is Jesus not answering? You told me he answered all our prayers, but why hasn’t he told me anything?”
Nancy stared at the boy and grinned at his innocent questions.
“I’ll take you,” a woman’s voice suddenly said from behind them. “My baby, I’ve come for you. Please stop crying.”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Alan and Nancy were startled. They turned around, and behind them was the woman with the child Alan had seen moments ago.
“Alan, my boy! I’ve come for you. I’ve come to take you home,” she cried.
“Who are you? How do you know the kid’s name?” questioned Nancy, holding Alan tight.
“My name is Annette. I’m Alan’s mother. I come here daily to see him and ensure he’s fine.”
“Your son? Do you have any proof?”
Annette took out a photo of her holding a newborn baby in her arms. “I left him at the shelter’s doorstep six years ago.”
“This is unbelievable. This was how Alan looked when I first picked him up from the doorstep on that rainy night. I heard the loud cries of a baby outside on the patio and found him there. Why did you leave your baby? How can you be such a heartless mother?”
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Annette began to cry and disclosed the most saddening story of her life.
Six years ago, she was 16 and accidentally fell pregnant with her boyfriend’s child. After she revealed this to him, he dumped her and moved to another state, blocking her from contact. Annette’s parents advised her to terminate the pregnancy, but she couldn’t do it.
“My parents gave me only one choice—to abandon my baby or to forget them and the legacy I would inherit. I was too naive and young to become a mother, so I left my newborn baby at the shelter and moved on.”
Annette added that she finished college and married another man. The girl with her, Amy, was her daughter from this marriage.
“I tried my best, but I could not forget my son. I visit this church often to watch him from a distance. But after hearing him crying for his mother today, I could not hold back any longer. I want to take him home with me.”
Soon, Annette began the legal formalities to gain Alan’s custody back. She took DNA tests with him, revealing they were mother and son by a 99 percent match. Although she successfully took Alan home and restored their relationship, it came with a hefty price.
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Annette’s parents turned against her and cut her off from their lives and their will. Even worse, her husband turned against her despite knowing the truth about her shady past.
“I married you because you were honest about your failed relationship with your ex-boyfriend and thought you would never want that kid again. But now, even your parents have disowned you. Look, I’m not willing to father someone else’s child. I’m ready to support my daughter financially, but our marriage is over,” her husband Jason said, immediately filing for a divorce.
Annette and Jason were divorced shortly after. Annette got custody of her daughter and was delighted to have Alan back.
“Never come to us begging for money again” were the last words she heard her parents tell her, and Annette was fine with that. She felt her life was complete, even without her parents’ approval or their money.
She moved abroad with her two wonderful children, got a good job, and only looks forward to living a happy life.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
What can we learn from this story?
- God answers our prayers. Whenever Alan went to church, he would cry and ask God to send his mother to him. One day, his prayers were answered when he heard a voice offering to take him, and it turned out to be his mother.
- Do not abandon your children and punish them for a mistake you have committed. When Annette fell pregnant at 16, her parents told her to abandon the baby. She obeyed them and moved on, unaware of how it would affect her son as he grew up.
A little girl cries in church, asking God to save her sick grandmother’s life. Suddenly, a voice speaks behind her, offering to help. Click here to read the full story.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers 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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