My Twin Brother Took My Part of Inheritance & Disappeared, Crawls for Help 35 Years Later – Story of the Day

My greedy twin stole my share of the inheritance and left me to fend for myself. Oh, how I despised him for that! But 35 years later, our destinies had taken a different turn, and he was crawling for help.

"Parents know their children inside out!"

If someone had told me this phrase 35 years ago, I would not have believed them. In fact, I would have despised them as much as I despised my father.

"Dylan is the more responsible of the two...When I'm not around, I know he'll decide what's best for both of you. Therefore, I choose to leave my inheritance to him and entrust him with its division," was written in the letter my father's lawyer showed us after his funeral.

My father had left all the inheritance to my twin brother, Dylan, because he trusted him. Dylan was always his favorite child. The perfect son. The one he admired the most. I was the family's black sheep in his eyes, worth nothing.

"Did he ever love me? Did he even see me as a son?" I questioned my father's love for me. I questioned his belief in me. 35 years later, I realized I had made a mistake...

To my utter shock, Dylan suddenly disappeared a day after we visited the lawyer's office. I couldn't reach him. His phone was turned off. His friends had no idea where he was. The lawyer, too, was clueless about his whereabouts, but he told me something that broke me on the inside.

"Your brother paid me a visit late last night," he said. "He wanted to know if it was necessary to leave you a percentage of the assets, and I assured him it wasn't because it was his choice."

Parents really know their children inside out.

It soon became clear to me that Dylan had left me to fend for myself. Within a day, I was without a family (our mother died soon after we were born), and within a few weeks, I was homeless because Dylan had sold our father's home. I was so hurt. So scared. So terrified for my future.

I'll never forget that time in my life. I felt hopeless. I was on the verge of ending everything and giving up. I considered myself a loner and my life worthless. But I am glad I didn't give up.

Today, I stand proud as a 60-year-old successful businessman. Hello, my name is Edward, and one of the most important things you need to know about me is that I eat chocolate pies every weekend despite my doctor's advice that it's bad for my diabetes.

Looking back at the young Edward, all I want to say is: "I am proud of you, young man. You made it."

As of now, I own three corporations and multiple assets overseas, and the Lord blessed me with a big family of lots of grandchildren. My wife Rose passed away last year, and I do miss her. But I know she's still alive in my heart.

I'm telling you this story to reassure all the young folks out there not to worry! Things will start to fall into place very soon. Believe in yourself.

Dylan, who had taken everything from me, slipped into debt, and the court issued a seizure order for his house. It was the last straw for him. Before you pass judgment, let me tell you that I was not pleased with the news. I never wanted anything bad to happen to Dylan. I never sought revenge. He was my brother, after all.

After receiving the court notification about his house, Dylan visited me. We saw each other after 35 years, but he didn't even hug me! That hurt me. All he said was that he needed my help.

I lost my cool and refused him. "You're knocking on the wrong door, Dylan," I said. "You need to think about how to get out of this mess if you want to keep the house. And yes, I can't help you with that. So please, leave!!"

He begged. "Please. Help me for once, Edward!" he requested. I didn't change my mind.

But on the day of his house evacuation, I visited him. I drove to his house and found him sitting with his head in his hands while his belongings were being thrown out.

I called his cell. "Look to your left and get in. We need to talk," I said as he answered his phone.

He looked at my car, and I waved to him.

"What do you want? You're happy now, aren't you? You got your revenge, Edward! You have everything, and I own nothing."

"Stop acting like a reckless teenager. I am waiting," I said and hung up.

As soon as he got in, I drove to the park where we used to walk with our father. I sat him down on a bench and handed him an envelope. It had his house keys.

"Nobody's throwing you out of the house. I bought it for you. I hope this will be a good lesson for you," I said.

Dylan was in tears. "I'm not sure how to thank you for this, Edward. Thank you very much!"

I didn't say anything. I got up and walked back to my car. I was sure he never learned his lesson. I could see the greed in his eyes. But I was wrong. My eyes had deceived me.

That evening, I received an envelope from Edward containing the house keys and a letter.

"I appreciate everything you did for me, Edward, but I am sorry I can't accept this," the letter began. "I don't know why but I was upset when you left without saying anything. I cried for hours. I was reminded of how I deceived you when we were younger. By returning the keys, I want to prove that I am embarrassed about what I did. You are the only family I have. My wife died several years ago...we never had children. I want to repent my mistakes. I'm sorry for hurting you in the past. I hope you'll forgive me.

— Dylan."

I was smiling despite the tears in my eyes. That smile on my face indicated my brother had finally realized he was wrong. I was happy for him. I was glad he had mended his ways.

I decided to meet him. I drove back to his house, but he wasn't there. My heart was racing as I searched the nearby streets for him. I was terrified. What if I couldn't find him? Would fate separate us again, and that too when I wanted to embrace him with all my heart?

"Dylan!" I shouted as I spotted him. "Oh, thank you, Lord!" He was sitting on the curb near a restaurant.

"Edward, what are you doing here…." Before he could say anything else, I hugged him close.

"I'm glad that you really realized everything. I feel so proud as a brother!" I said, and Dylan hugged me back. He was sobbing like a baby. We reconciled after 35 LONG years! But that's not where things ended.

Three years later, I ran across my father's best friend at a party, and he told me something that made me regret my hatred for my father.

"Your father loved you more than Dylan," he said to me. "He knew you were meant for bigger things in life, Edward. He never showed it to you, but he loved you. Dylan was always the weaker kid—cynical, petulant, and vulnerable. Your father was testing you and your brother. And look what happened. He was right. A parent knows their kid inside out!" he added and smiled.

What can we learn from this story?

• Parents really know their children inside out. Edward's father was always confident that Edward would be able to survive on his own, but Dylan would not. And well, he was right.
• Parents should be more open to their children. If only Edward's father had told him why he really left everything to Dylan, it would have saved Edward from the pain and misery he suffered as a young boy.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a twin girl who was worried her twin sister felt lonely under the grave. She got her favorite toy while visiting her one day and found a letter.

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. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.