Eleanor, 74, was reading in her nursing home when her aide, Mia, announced, “Your grandson’s visiting!” Eleanor sighed, knowing Paul only came for money, not love. Five years earlier, she lived in her late husband’s house. Paul, married to Sophie, visited rarely until he began frequent trips, claiming Sophie needed surgery. Eleanor, devoted to him, sold her home, gave him the funds, and moved in, unaware they spent it on a luxury cruise. Overhearing Sophie’s plan to send her away, Eleanor learned of their deceit.
Soon, Paul showed her a nursing home pamphlet, saying they needed room for a child. Heartbroken, Eleanor moved, seeing Paul only yearly. Now, suspecting he knew of her cousin’s inheritance, she dressed thoughtfully before meeting him. Paul’s warm hug hid his true motive: “Sophie needs surgery,” he said, requesting her money. Eleanor, aware of his lies, mentioned her own “critical surgery” for cancer, asking whose was more urgent. Paul chose Sophie, shattering Eleanor. She asked for a day to decide, hoping he’d reconsider.
That night, Eleanor grieved Paul’s greed, recalling his troubled childhood with a reckless father before she raised him. She longed for him to value her, but he didn’t. The next day, Paul pressed again. Eleanor said the inheritance was delayed, suggesting he mortgage his house, promising repayment. Paul agreed eagerly, unaware of her strategy. Soon, Mia showed Eleanor Paul and Sophie’s Maldives vacation photos, funded by the mortgage. Eleanor’s health declined, and she died two weeks later, leaving a final gift.
At her funeral, Paul, shaken, was nudged by Sophie to check the inheritance. A lawyer delivered an envelope with $50 and a note: “I knew your lies, Paul. Money isn’t love. Work at my nursing home for a year to learn kindness. This is bus fare. I love you.” Furious, Paul cursed Eleanor, missing that her fortune awaited him at the nursing home, contingent on fulfilling her wish. Without it, he’d lose his home to the mortgage. Eleanor’s lesson shone: greed breeds loss, but compassion builds lasting bonds, a truth Paul might yet embrace.
