My wife left me a decade ago, but before my father-in-law died, she called me and gave me a ₱335,000 and told me to keep it a secret. It was only after the funeral that I realized that everything…

The day my ex-father-in-law called me, I was a little surprised—my wife and I hadn’t been in touch for almost a decade. They abandoned me when I went bankrupt and ran away with a rich man. But his voice on the phone that day was low, and he asked me to come to Fortis Hospital in Gurugram immediately.

In the white room of the hospital, my former father-in-law, Mr. Harish Sharma, gave me a black plastic bag with a ₱335,000 cash inside, then he gently took my hand:

“Son… Keep this money a secret, no one will know. It’s a family affair… After I die, you’ll know what to do. ”

I shook my head without asking any more questions.

The day he died, the whole family started preparing for the funeral. My ex-wife Nisha also came back, but her behaviour was like a stranger, just standing next to Vikram (my new husband) and giving instructions. I didn’t say anything, silently obeyed my ex-father-in-law’s last wish.

On the last day, when the funeral was over, I quietly opened my wallet and looked at it before doing as he wished… And I was stunned: The thick piles of money were fake, with some real notes added to add weight to it. At the bottom of the bag was a neatly placed white envelope, inside of which was a letter:

“Son-in-law, I know my daughter left you earlier, but you never blamed me. I also know that you secretly helped me pay off a huge debt of mine without telling anyone. I put the real money in the kitchen drawer and the key in the pocket of the vest I wore today. Before they know it, take it. ”

My heart was pounding. I ran into the kitchen of my old south Delhi house, opened the wooden cupboard, and as he had said: a small iron box lay quietly inside. I opened it – brand new rupees, still sealed, neatly decorated.

I put it calmly in my bag, and returned to the living room as if nothing had happened. Nisha came up to me, there was a joke in her voice:

“You’re still very poor, I don’t know why my father called you here.”

I just smiled, walked out the door, turned around and said something that silenced the whole house:

“My father has called me… To return all the money that he had kept hidden all his life. As far as you’re concerned, just stay there and fight… For counterfeit notes kept in black bags. ”

As he said this, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the bag that was still lying on the table. Nisha’s face turned pale, she ran to tear it apart… And frankly, they were all fake notes. Screams echoed throughout the house, and I picked up my bag and walked straight – this time, with my head held higher than ever.