My Father’s Final Act Looked Cruel… Until I Discovered the Shocking Truth About My Stepmother (2 of 3)

Sometimes I believed them. I pushed her away, snapped at her, even ruined one of her blouses in a childish rage. But I also remember sneaking into her room one night and finding her crying silently into her hands. That was when the guilt crushed me.

As I grew older, I saw her differently. She wasn’t perfect, but she was unwaveringly kind. I began calling her Mama Linda. To me, she was family in every way that mattered.

Dad seemed to know the tension. Once, I overheard him telling her quietly, “Be patient with them. They lost their mother too young.” She never argued, never lashed out—just carried on with quiet grace, even when my brothers treated her with disdain.

Years passed. My brothers married, moved out, and it was just Dad, Linda, and me. Then, earlier this year, Dad grew gravely ill. Strangely, he became irritable with Linda, snapping at her over the smallest things. At first, I thought the illness was changing him.

Then came the shock. One weekend, with the whole family gathered, Dad suddenly turned on Linda. His voice, weak but sharp, cut through the room: “Get out. Leave this house.”

Linda froze. No tears, no protests. She packed a small bag and stepped outside. The silence she left behind was unbearable.

Weeks later, Dad called us for a family meeting. When I arrived, Linda was again at the door with her suitcase. Dad’s words were colder than before: “You and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. Don’t come back.”

I was stunned. She looked at me with soft, resigned eyes and whispered, “Don’t say anything. Just let it be.” Then she walked out of our lives.

Two weeks later, Dad was gone.

At the funeral, Linda quietly handled the details like the widow she truly was. My brothers didn’t stop her, but afterward, they muttered that Dad must have thrown her out to keep the inheritance safe. And when his estate was divided—house, land, property—it was split evenly among us three.

I thought the story ended there.