78-YEAR-OLD WOMAN RETURNS FROM A NURSING HOME TO HER HOUSE—ONLY TO FIND A MANSION WITH CHANGED LOCKS IN ITS PLACE
Millie is 78 years old. For the past six years, she had lived in a nursing home, figuring there was no point in staying alone in her empty house.
Her son? He left 30 years ago, choosing his wife over her and never looking back. Never visiting. Never calling.
One day, feeling nostalgic, Millie decided to visit her old home—the one she never sold, the one she still owned. But when she arrived, instead of her small, cozy house, she found a huge mansion with a beautifully landscaped garden.
Confused, she walked up to the door, tried her key—but the lock had been changed.
She pressed the intercom and waited.
Two minutes later, the door swung open—and Millie’s heart nearly stopped.
Her eyes locked onto the person standing there.
It was her son.
Older, grayer—but unmistakably him.
“Mom?” he said, his voice barely a whisper.
Millie stared at him, stunned. “What is this place? Where’s my house?”
He stepped forward. “This is your house. I rebuilt it.”
She shook her head, confused. “But you… you never came back. I thought…”
He swallowed hard. “I’ve been here every day for the past six years, renovating it. After Dad died, I couldn’t face the memories. I stayed away too long. But I never stopped thinking about you. I wanted to make this place better—so you’d have something beautiful when you came home.”
Millie’s knees almost gave out.
He caught her in a hug she didn’t realize she still wanted. “You still own this house,” he said. “But now… it’s our home again.”
And just like that, she realized—sometimes the people who leave don’t stay gone forever.
