Lady Sees Daughter and Son-in-Law Who 'Tragically Died' 5 Years Ago, Follows Them – Story of the Day

When she arrived in The Bahamas, Miriam saw a couple who looked just like her daughter and her son-in-law. But they both died in a car accident five years ago, so she had to follow and confront them. Afterward, Miriam had to decide whether to call the police or not.

The last few years of Miriam's life were challenging for several reasons, but she had finally saved enough money to go on her dream vacation to The Bahamas. She was alone and older now, but that was perfectly fine.

Her plan was to lay on a beach chair, read as much as possible, drink many piña coladas, and enjoy herself. She deserved it after all her hard work and heartbreak. So, when the airport shuttle arrived at her hotel, she got down quickly, smelling the fresh sea breeze and listening to the sounds of tourists and music.

"Aww, this is the life!" she said, smiling while opening her arms wide.

"Welcome to The Ocean Club. Let me take your things," a hotel employee came and took her bags.

"Thank you, young man," Miriam responded, crinkling her eyes and reaching into her purse for some cash to tip. She followed him into the resort, almost skipping despite her age, to the check-in desk.

When the employee left after receiving his tip, Miriam's eyes landed somewhere. A couple was by the gift shop store, looking at the display items in the window. But that wasn't unusual. What caught her attention was their unfathomable and unbelievable resemblance to her daughter, Pamela, and her husband, Frank.

But it wasn't possible because both died five years ago. The pain of losing them was so acute that Miriam struggled for a long time, which is why this vacation was so important to her. She had grieved for a long time, and it was now essential to keep living her life.

She never expected to find two people who looked exactly like them at her hotel.

"Ma'am, are you checking in? Can you tell me your full name?" the hotel clerk distracted her, and she turned for a second.

"Do you know that couple's name?" she asked, pointing back but focused on the clerk.

"Who?"

Miriam turned back to the gift shop window only to realize that the couple was walking away and exiting the hotel. She couldn't lose them, so the older woman rapidly pushed her bags toward the desk. "Please, I'm Mrs. Leary. Keep my bags for a second. I'll be right back!"

Then, Miriam ran to the front, looked left and right, and saw the couple walking to the right. They could be anyone. This could be a coincidence, but she would wonder "what if" for the rest of her life if she didn't follow them.

"Pamela!" she yelled, taking a shot.

Surprisingly, the woman turned, her eyes flared, and Miriam knew it was her daughter. Pamela turned to her husband and said something to him urgently. Frank looked back. His gaze was shocked…and scared. Afterward, they held hands and walked faster.

"Don't walk away from me!" Miriam yelled, desperately trying to get closer. "I'll call the police!"

Those words finally stopped them in their tracks, and the older woman was able to catch up to them.

"Pamela? Frank? Why are you here? What's going on?" she asked, breathless, confused, and agitated.

Pamela turned her whole body, but her face down, ashamed. "Hey, Mom," she whispered. Frank said nothing, but his eyes were also looking at the floor. They were like two kids who had just gotten caught in a prank.

"Well? Are you going to say anything?" Miriam demanded, her feelings turning from wanting to cry to indignation.

Their guilt was confusing, but her instincts told her…they had done something.

"I think it's best we go back to the hotel and talk," Frank requested quietly.

Miriam looked between them and nodded firmly.

***

"OK, out with it, and I want the truth! You two look guilty as hell, so I know something wrong," Miriam said as soon as they entered Frank and Pamela's hotel room.

"Mom, please calm down," her daughter coaxed.

"I will NOT calm down!" Miriam snapped. "You have two minutes to explain, or I'll go mad!"

"Yes, we faked our deaths," Frank exclaimed. "We admit that, but we…huh…had to."

"Had to?" the older woman wondered. "Why? What did you do?"

"Nothing," Pamela answered. "It's just… we won the lottery."

"Excuse me?" Miriam closed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"We won the lottery. It was a lot of money, and I know that if others found out, they would ask to borrow," Frank confirmed.

The older woman's eyes squinted as she began stuttering. "You thought your family would ask for money."

"I know they would have," he continued, nodding forcefully.

"Didn't you borrow money from your brother's wife for your stupid startup?" Miriam continued.

"It wasn't stupid!"

"You're right. YOU were stupid, thinking the startup would just work on its own without any real effort," she added, getting angrier. She looked at Pamela. "You went along with this?"

"I…Mom, he's my husband," her daughter answered sheepishly and regretfully.

"So, you're both saying that instead of paying back what you owed, instead of helping family and building something great with your loved ones, you decided to run away," the angry sarcasm dripping from Miriam's voice. "Not just ran away. You faked your deaths."

"I'm sorry, Mom."

"Yes, we're sorry, Mrs. Leary, but we can't return," Frank added.

"You're escaping tax payments, too, aren't you?" Miriam looked at her son-in-law with flaring nostrils and piercing eyes.

Frank licked his lips and looked down too.

The older woman turned to her daughter. "You accepted all of this? Not caring how it would destroy everyone, how it would affect me. You could've kept the money a secret. This is ridiculous!"

"Mom," Pamela said, almost whining.

Miriam's disappointment drained her energy. "You're both cowards and frauds and cheats. Pamela, I'll give you one chance to come back home with me, right your wrongs, and pay your penance."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. You know this was wrong. I don't care about the money. But doing this to us, to me...it's unforgivable unless you act now to atone for it," the older woman continued, getting closer to her daughter. "Please."

"She's not going back," Frank stated firmly. His guilt was gone. "Our lives are great now. We have money for the rest of our lives and live well."

"Pamela," Miriam looked only at her daughter, urging her with a look.

But Pamela shook her head and looked down.

"Where did I go wrong?" the older woman said. She let go of her daughter's hand, grabbed her bag, and exited the room.

She was back at the airport sometime later, as her vacation was entirely ruined. The entire flight was spent trying to figure out if she should call someone and alert the authorities. When she arrived home, Miriam knew she couldn't do that.

She didn't want her daughter in trouble with the law, in case Pamela finally decided to do the right thing. It had to be on her terms, so Miriam kept quiet, a symbol of leaving the door open for her daughter or offering her an olive branch.

But Pamela never took the offer.

What can we learn from this story?

• Trust your instincts. Miriam acted quickly when she saw her daughter and son-in-law's lookalikes, and her instincts were right.
• Your children will not always make the right choices, but you only need to keep the door open. The older woman didn't inform the police of Pamela's fake death, hoping her daughter would do the right thing.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who saw her daughter-in-law's grave a year after her son died.

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.