On Valentine's Day, Rich Girl Rejects Poor Guy, She Appears on His Doorstep Years Later – Story of the Day

Simon proposed to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, but she ran away, never to see him again. Years later, there was a knock on his door, and a homeless woman asked for help before fainting. He recognized her immediately and finally asked why she rejected him. The truth was not what he imagined.

Simon got up from the couch after hearing a knock on his door. He opened it and saw a woman standing outside. She was wearing tattered, unclean clothes and looked pretty sick. It didn’t help that the weather report recently announced a snowstorm coming to their town in Wyoming. What was this woman doing out there in the cold?

“Can I help you?” Simon asked, and the woman coughed, releasing a puff of air that you could see in this weather.

“Please, can I use your…,” the woman began, but she didn’t finish her sentence. She fainted right on his doorstep, and Simon rushed to bring her inside. He had no idea what to do, and the weather was getting even worse. Regardless, he called the emergency line and waited for an ambulance to arrive.

Helping someone can change your life.

Meanwhile, he laid the woman near his fireplace and finally got a good look at her face. It was her. It was Phoebe. His dream girl. The girl he wanted to marry all those years ago until she ran away unexpectedly, and they never saw each other again.

But there was something different about her. Everything was different. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were old, and her face looked pale and withered. The woman he met back in college was someone completely different.

Many years ago, Simon received a scholarship to the University of Wyoming, where he met Phoebe. But unlike him, she was the daughter of a wealthy man, Mr. Longhorn, who was known around the state for various endeavors. He had never met someone who was born with a golden spoon, and it seemed daunting.

But Phoebe stayed on his mind for months before he got the courage to ask her out. Surprisingly, she said yes. He never expected that in a million years. After all, rich people usually gravitated towards their kind, and he was just a poor boy with a scholarship who had to work part-time to survive barely.

But they went out, and they had a blast, even though he couldn’t take her anywhere nice. They talked all night, and Simon knew he was in love right then. But when he walked her home that night, her father was there. He took a long look at Simon, grunted, and dragged Phoebe towards his town car. Simon wanted to stop him, but his driver and bodyguard pushed him away.

Luckily, Phoebe called him the next day, and they started dating. Simon had no idea she was keeping it a secret from her father.

A year later, they were still together, and Valentine’s Day was approaching. Therefore, he worked hard, saved all his money, and bought her a gorgeous ring. He would propose during an expensive dinner, and hopefully, they would be happy together. But that didn’t happen.

When Simon got down on one knee and said the magical words, “Will you marry me?” at first, it seemed like Phoebe was excited, but suddenly, her expression changed. She screamed the word “no,” stood up, and ran away from the restaurant. That was the last time Simon saw her, and it broke his heart. But that wasn’t the worst part.

Later that week, he discovered that Phoebe had transferred schools, and one of her friends came up to mock him. “You really think she was going to marry you? She went on that first date as a joke, and we were going to mock you. But then she dated you out of rebellion from her strict father. It was all a lie,” her friend revealed.

That day, Simon vowed never to fall in love again, and Valentine’s Day became the worst time of the year for him. Everything was red, and love was in the air. But never for him.

And now, the only woman he had ever loved was right there. Or was she? She didn’t look like his Phoebe. What happened to her? he wondered but forgot everything when he heard the ambulance arriving.

***

Simon got onto the ambulance with her. The doctors said that she was severely dehydrated and sleep-deprived, so they placed her on an I.V. and on observation for the rest of the night.

Despite all the pain she caused and the fact that he never found love after these years, he decided to stay by her side. At the very least, he had to see if she would be alright tomorrow. He wasn’t a monster.

Morning came soon enough, and Simon woke up to the sound of Phoebe’s voice. “Sir? Where am I?”

“Phoebe! Are you alright? You’re at the hospital,” he said, raising his head and looking at her.

She frowned at him and squinted her eyes. “How do you know my name?”

For some reason, that hurt him a lot. “I’m Simon. Remember me?”

“Simon…,” she repeated and looked around. Suddenly, her eyes went back to his. “Simon? Oh my God! Why are you here with me?”

“You came to my house,” he replied softly.

“What? I don’t even… remember that…,” she said, seeming to lose her focus.

“That’s fine. Don’t worry. The doctors said you were dehydrated, so you need to rest for a while here. I stayed because… well, you fainted right at my door, and I knew you at some point. Or thought I did, at least,” he explained.

“Oh, Simon,” she breathed, and her eyes watered. “It’s so good to see you.”

Simon looked at her strangely. “It is?”

“Yes. I’ve been dying to see you for years, but some things happened in my life, and I didn’t know how to find you,” Phoebe continued.

“I heard that your father got into some trouble. May I ask what happened?”

“Oh, trouble is putting it mildly. He’s in jail now and will serve time for a long time. I don’t care, honestly. I hate him. But yeah, my life got seriously derailed when the feds showed up. They froze all our accounts and seized everything. I was left with absolutely nothing just like that,” she revealed.

“I think I read something in the papers about that,” Simon voiced.

“Yeah. And my so-called friends never helped me. They cut me off immediately, and I was left alone. I had a degree, but no experience at hard work. I had no way to find housing, and look at me now! I’m homeless,” Phoebe added, laughing at the end humorlessly.

“That’s terrible, Phoebe. But may I ask you something else? What happened back then? You know…,” he trailed off.

“Oh, Simon. That was the worst night of my life. I was about to yell a huge loud ‘yes’ when you got down on one knee. But my father was right there. He threatened me before. He said he would do something to you if I didn’t break it off. I thought I was careful enough. I was going to suggest running away after graduation, but he was there, and I know he keeps a gun on him at all times. I was so scared,” Phoebe finally revealed the truth.

“What? You mean you didn’t date me as a joke? Your friend Marla said something....”

“You mean Marla who was the first to turn me away when I needed help? You can’t believe anything she says.”

“I don’t understand,” Simon said, shaking his head in confusion.

“I wanted to marry you so badly, Simon! I swear! But I couldn’t. He threatened you. He said he knew people that could get rid of you. I couldn’t risk it when I saw his face at the restaurant, and I had to reject you horribly. Then he made me transfer schools, and well, I hoped you would move on and be happy,” Phoebe stated and paused for a second. “Are you happy?”

“I… I don’t know. I started my business, and it went pretty well. But I’ve never loved anyone else. I’m not married. I couldn’t get that night out of my mind,” Simon answered.

Phoebe closed her eyes as if in pain and apologized profusely for that. They didn’t talk for a few moments until Simon spoke up.

“I can help you get out of this situation if you want. I have a few rental units. I can set you up in one and you can work at my company,” Simon offered sheepishly.

“I… I don’t deserve it. But I’m in no position to say no. So, yes, please,” she replied.

Simon helped Phoebe as best he could. He wasn’t expecting anything, but he discovered that she never dated anyone after him too. Her father’s struggles also got in the way. But Phoebe was brilliant. She picked up her duties at work effortlessly and became one of his best employees. Eventually, they started dating again, and Simon never imagined they could finally be this happy.

What can we learn from this story?

• Helping someone can change your life. Simon brought the woman inside to keep her warm despite not knowing who she was. But his whole life changed as a result.
• Accept the help that comes your way. Phoebe agreed to work for Simon, although she felt she didn’t deserve it. But it was the best option for her.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a young man who stole an envelope of cash and discovered a letter inside.

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