**Diary Entry**
My daughter and son-in-law died two years agothen one day, my grandchildren shouted, Grandma, look, its Mum and Dad!
Emily was on the beach with her grandchildren when they suddenly pointed to a café nearby. Her heart skipped a beat when they cried out words that would shatter her world. The couple in the café looked exactly like their parents, who had passed away two years before.
Grief changes a person in ways you dont expect. Some days, its a dull ache in your chest. Other days, it hits you square in the face like a punch.
That morning, in my kitchen, staring at an anonymous letter, I felt a mix of hope and terror. My hands shook as I reread the words: *They never really left.* The crisp white paper nearly burned my fingers. I thought Id been managing my grief, trying to build a stable life for my grandchildren, Oliver and James, after losing my daughter Charlotte and her husband, Thomas. But that note made me realise how far I was from acceptance.
Theyd had an accident two years ago. I still remember the pain when Oliver and James asked where their parents were and when theyd be back. It took months to convince them Mummy and Daddy werent coming home. Breaking their little hearts was the hardest thing Id ever done.
Then came the letter, suggesting Charlotte and Thomas were still alive. They never really left? I whispered, sinking into a chair. What kind of cruel joke is this?
I was about to toss it when my phone buzzed. It was my bank, alerting me to a purchase made with Charlottes cardone Id kept active just to hold onto a piece of her.
How? I muttered. That cards been in a drawer for two years. I called the bank immediately.
Good morning, this is Jonathan. How can I help?
Id like to check the last transaction on my daughters card, I said.
After confirming details, he hesitated. Theres been no recent activity on the physical card. The purchase was made with a virtual card linked to the account.
A virtual card? I never set one up.
Virtual cards operate separately. This one was activated a week before your daughters presumed passing.
My blood ran cold. I hung up and rang my best friend, Margaret. Its impossible, she insisted.
Someone wants me to believe theyre alive. But why?
The purchase was small£18.50 at a local café. Part of me wanted to investigate, but another part feared what Id find.
Then Saturday came, and everything changed.
We were at the beach, the boys laughing in the shallows, when Oliver suddenly pointed. Grandma, look! Its Mum and Dad!
My heart stopped. Thirty metres away, a woman with Charlottes graceful posture sat with a man who looked just like Thomas.
Stay with the boys, I told Margaret, then hurried toward them.
They took a path lined with wild roses. I followed, unnoticed. The woman tucked her hair behind her earjust like Charlotte. The man walked with Thomass slight limp.
Then I heard him speak.
Its risky, but we had no choice, Sophie.
*Sophie?*
They entered a cottage. Hands trembling, I dialled 999.
When I knocked, the door openedand there stood Charlotte. Her face paled. Mum? How how did you find us?
Before I could answer, sirens wailed. How could you? My voice shook. Do you know what youve put us through?
Police arrived, and the truth spilled out. Theyd faked their deaths to escape loan sharks, changed their names to Sophie and Daniel, and fled.
We thought disappearing would give the boys a better life, Charlotte wept. Leaving them was the hardest thing weve ever done.
When Margaret brought Oliver and James, their joy shattered me. Mummy! Daddy! they cried, running into their arms.
But the police took Charlotte and Thomas away. The officer looked at me with pity. Theyll face serious charges.
And my grandchildren? I asked, watching their confused little faces. How do I explain this?
That night, alone, I stared at the letter. *They never really left.*
They hadnt. Theyd chosen to go. And somehow, that hurt more than believing they were dead.
I dont know if I did the right thing calling the police. Part of me wishes Id let them live the life they wanted. But another part knowssome choices cant be undone.
What would you have done?