When I offered to marry a homeless stranger, I thought I had it all figured out. It seemed like the perfect arrangement to please my parents with no strings attached. Little did I know I’d be shocked to walk into my house a month later.
I’m Miley, 34 years old, and this is the story of how I went from being a happily single career woman to marrying a homeless man, only to have my world turned upside down in the most unexpected way.
A woman in her bedroom | Source: Midjourney
My parents have been on my case about getting married for as long as I can remember. I feel like they have a timer ticking away in their heads, counting down the seconds until my hair starts turning white.
As a result, every family dinner turned into an impromptu matchmaking session.
“Miley, honey,” my mom, Martha, would start. “You remember the Johnsons’ son? He just got promoted to regional manager at his firm. Maybe you two should grab coffee sometime?”
A woman talking to her daughter | Source: Midjourney
“Mom, I’m not interested in dating right now,” I’d say. “I’m focused on my career.”
“But sweetheart,” my dad, Stephen, would chime in, “your career won’t keep you warm at night. Don’t you want someone to share your life with?”
“I share my life with you guys and my friends,” I’d counter. “That’s enough for me right now.”
But they wouldn’t let up. It was a constant barrage of “What about so-and-so?” and “Did you hear about this nice young man?”
One night, things took a turn for the worse.
A close-up shot of chairs in a house | Source: Pexels
We were having our usual Sunday dinner when my parents dropped a bombshell.
“Miley,” my dad said in a serious tone. “Your mother and I have been thinking.”
“Oh boy, here we go,” I mumbled.
“We’ve decided,” he continued, ignoring my sarcasm, “that unless you’re married by your 35th birthday, you won’t see a cent of our inheritance.”
“What?” I blurted out. “You can’t be serious!”
“We are,” my mom chimed in. “We’re not getting any younger, honey. We want to see you settled and happy. And we want grandchildren while we’re still young enough to enjoy them.”
A woman looking at her daughter | Source: Midjourney
“This is insane,” I sputtered. “You can’t blackmail me into getting married!”
“It’s not blackmail,” my dad insisted. “It’s, uh, it’s incentive.”
I stormed out of their house that night, unable to believe what just happened. They’d given me an ultimatum, implying that I needed to find a husband in a few months or kiss my inheritance goodbye.
I was angry, but not because I wanted the money. It was more about the principle of the thing. How dare they try to control my life like this?
A woman looking at her mother | Source: Midjourney
For weeks, I didn’t answer their calls or visit them. Then, one evening, I got an excellent idea.
I was walking home from work, thinking about spreadsheets and deadlines, when I spotted him. A man, probably in his late 30s, sat on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign asking for change.
He looked rough, had an unkempt beard, and wore dirty clothes, but there was something in his eyes. A kindness and a sadness that made me pause.
A homeless man | Source: Pexels
That’s when an idea struck me. It was crazy, but it felt like the perfect solution to all my problems.
“Excuse me,” I said to the man. “This might sound crazy, but, um, would you like to get married?”
The man’s eyes widened in shock. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Look, I know this is weird, but hear me out,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I need to get married ASAP. It would be a marriage of convenience. I’d provide you with a place to live, clean clothes, food, and some money. In return, you’d just have to pretend to be my husband. What do you say?”
He stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I was sure he thought I was kidding.
A close-up shot of a man’s face | Source: Midjourney
“Lady, are you for real?” he asked.
“Completely,” I assured him. “I’m Miley, by the way.”
“Stan,” he replied, still looking bewildered. “And you’re seriously offering to marry a homeless guy you just met?”
I nodded.
“I know it sounds insane, but I promise I’m not a serial killer or anything. Just a desperate woman with meddling parents.”
“Well, Miley, I gotta say, this is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
A homeless man sitting outdoors | Source: Pexels
“So, is that a yes?” I asked.
He looked at me for a long moment, and I saw that spark in his eyes again. “You know what? Why the hell not. You’ve got yourself a deal, future wife.”
And just like that, my life took a turn I never could have imagined.
I took Stan shopping for new clothes, got him cleaned up at a salon, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that underneath all that grime was a rather handsome man.
A man smiling | Source: Midjourney
Three days later, I introduced him to my parents as my secret fiancé. To say they were shocked would be an understatement.
“Miley!” my mom exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Oh, you know, I wanted to make sure it was serious before I said anything,” I lied. “But Stan and I are so in love, aren’t we, honey?”
Stan, to his credit, played along beautifully. He charmed my parents with made-up stories of our whirlwind romance.
A month later, we were married.
A newly wed couple | Source: Pexels
I made sure to get a rock-solid prenup, just in case my little scheme backfired. But to my surprise, living with Stan wasn’t half bad.
He was funny, smart, and always ready to help around the house. We fell into an easy friendship, almost like roommates who occasionally had to pretend to be madly in love.
However, there was just one thing that nagged at me.
A woman looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
Whenever I asked Stan about his past, about how he ended up on the streets, he’d clam up. His eyes would cloud over, and he’d quickly change the subject. It was a mystery that both intrigued and frustrated me.
Then came the day that changed everything.
It was a regular day when I returned home from work. As I entered the house, a trail of rose petals caught my attention. It led me into the living room.
A woman’s hand on a doorknob | Source: Midjourney
The sight that greeted me in the living room left me speechless. The entire room was filled with roses, and a huge heart made of petals was on the floor.
And there, in the center of it all, stood Stan.
But this wasn’t the Stan I knew. Gone were the comfortable jeans and T-shirts I gave him.
Instead, he was dressed in a sleek black tuxedo that looked like it cost more than my monthly rent. And in his hand, he held a small velvet box.
A man standing in a living room | Source: Midjourney
“Stan?” I managed to squeak out. “What’s going on?”
He smiled, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.
“Miley,” he said. “I wanted to thank you for accepting me. You’ve made me incredibly happy. I would be even happier if you truly loved me and became my wife, not just in name but in real life. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, and this past month we’ve spent together has been the happiest of my life. Will you marry me? For real this time?”
A man talking to his wife | Source: Midjourney
I stood there with eyes wide open, struggling to process what was happening. A thousand questions raced through my mind, but one pushed its way to the front.
“Stan,” I said slowly, “where did you get the money for all this? The tuxedo, the flowers, and that ring?”
“I guess it’s time I told you the truth,” he said before taking a deep breath. “You see, I never told you how I became homeless because it was too complicated, and it could have put you in a difficult position. And I loved our life together so much.”
A man talking to his wife in the living room | Source: Midjourney
“I became homeless because my brothers decided to get rid of me and take over my company,” he continued. “They forged documents, faked my signatures, and even stole my identity. One day, they dropped me off in this town, miles away from home. When I tried going to the police, they pulled strings, and I never got any help. They even bribed my lawyer.”
I quietly listened as Stan poured out his story.
A woman looking at her husband | Source: Midjourney
How he’d lost everything, how he’d spent months just trying to survive on the streets. And then, how meeting me had given him the push he needed to fight back.
“When you gave me a home, clean clothes, and a little money, I decided to fight back,” he explained. “I contacted the best law firm in the country, one that my brothers couldn’t influence because it works for their competitors.”
A man talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
“I told them my story and promised them a substantial payout,” he revealed. “At first, they didn’t want to take the case without an advance, but when they realized they could finally outsmart their rivals, they agreed. Thanks to them, a court case is set for next month, and my documents and bank accounts have been restored.”
He paused, looking at me with those kind eyes that had first caught my attention.
A man looking straight ahead | Source: Midjourney
“I’ll be honest with you,” he smiled. “I’m not a poor man. I’ve spent my whole life looking for love, but every woman I met was only interested in my money. You, however, were kind to me when you thought I had nothing. That’s why I fell for you. I’m sorry I kept all this from you for so long.”
I sank onto the couch, unable to process his story. I couldn’t believe the man I married on a whim was actually wealthy and harbored genuine feelings for me.
A woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Stan,” I finally managed to say, “you’ve really taken me by surprise. I feel like I have feelings for you too, but all this new information is overwhelming.”
He nodded understandingly and guided me to the dining table. We ate the dinner he had prepared.
I shared my feelings with Stan once we finished eating.
“Stan, thank you for such a romantic gesture. No one has ever done anything like this for me in my life.” I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I spoke.
A woman talking to her husband | Source: Midjourney
“I will marry you. That’s my decision now. But could you ask me again in six months? If my decision remains the same, we’ll have a real wedding. Let’s first see how life goes with all of this new information for both of us. You have a tough court battle ahead, and I’ll support you through it.”
Stan’s face lit up with a smile. “I’m so happy. Of course, I’ll ask you again in six months. But will you accept my ring now?”
A ring in a box | Source: Pexels
I nodded, and he slipped the ring onto my finger. We hugged, and for the first time, we kissed. It wasn’t a Hollywood kiss with fireworks and swelling music, but it felt right. It felt like coming home.
As I write this, I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that’s happened. I married a homeless man to spite my parents, only to discover he’s actually a wealthy businessman with a heart of gold. Life really does work in mysterious ways.
A couple holding hands | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed reading this story, here’s another one you might like: When a wealthy man cruelly mocks an elderly woman after a minor accident, no one dares intervene — until Mark, a homeless man, steps forward, demanding respect. The rich man jeers at Mark’s appearance, but the next day, fate flips the script, and he’s on his knees begging for forgiveness.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
I Came Home with My Newborn Twins to Find the Locks Changed, My Stuff Thrown Out, and a Note Waiting for Me
After giving birth to my first children, I thought my husband would start choosing us more over his mother, but that wasn’t the case. This time, he’d chosen her side over me for the last time, so I exposed her for the bully and liar she was.
You’d think bringing home your newborn twins would be one of the happiest moments of your life. For me, it started like that, but it soon turned into an absolute nightmare!
An upset mother with her newborn babies | Source: Midjourney
After three days in the hospital, recovering from a grueling delivery, I was finally discharged and ready to head home with my beautiful twin daughters, Ella and Sophie. I’d imagined this moment for months: Derek, my husband, picking us up at the hospital with flowers, tears of joy in his eyes as he took one of the girls into his arms.
But instead, at the last minute, I got a hurried phone call that changed everything…
An upset woman on a call | Source: Midjourney
“Hey, baby,” my husband said, his voice clipped. “I am so sorry, but I can’t come pick you guys up as planned.”
“What?” I asked, adjusting the swaddle around Sophie. “Derek, I just had twins. What’s so important that you can’t—”
“It’s my mom,” he interrupted. “She’s in bad shape. Hectic chest pains. I need to pick her up and take her to that hospital close to her.”
His words hit me like a bucket of cold water. “What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Derek, I need you here.”
“I know,” he said, exasperated. “But this happened suddenly, and it’s serious. I’ll come to you as soon as I can.”
An anxious man on a call | Source: Midjourney
I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to scream because of how disappointed and frustrated I felt, but I replied, “Fine. I’ll just get a taxi.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled before hanging up.
My husband’s mother lived in a different city, so the chances of him getting back that same day to get me and the babies were unrealistic. Knowing how obsessed Derek was with his mother, he wasn’t going to leave her by herself, hence the taxi.
An upset woman on a call | Source: Midjourney
As the line went dead, my heart sank. I wanted to believe Derek wasn’t being callous, just overwhelmed and a mama’s boy. Still, the disappointment stung. The same mother-in-law (MIL) who insisted we make a separate set of keys to our house so she could help me with the babies was now suddenly unwell.
I tried shaking it off as I bundled the girls into their car seats that their father had dropped off the previous day and got us into a cab.
A woman in a cab with her children | Source: Midjourney
When we pulled into the driveway, I froze. My suitcases, diaper bags, and even the crib mattress were scattered across the front lawn and by the doorstep! A knot formed in my stomach. I paid the driver and stepped out with the twins, glancing around nervously. Something was obviously very wrong…
A messy front yard | Source: Midjourney
I approached the front door, fumbling with my keys while absentmindedly calling out my husband’s name, even though I knew he couldn’t be home yet. The key wouldn’t turn. Confused, I tried again. Nothing. Then I saw it, a folded piece of paper taped to a suitcase.
Get out of here with your little moochers! I know everything. Derek.
My breath caught, and my heart stopped. My hands trembled as I read the note again and again, trying to make sense of it while hoping it was a hallucination. This couldn’t be happening. Not Derek…
A shocked woman reading a note | Source: Midjourney
Not the man who held my hand through every doctor’s appointment, who cried when we heard our daughters’ heartbeats for the first time. Then the worst part of that day began…
Wanting answers, I called him immediately. Straight to voicemail. Again. Voicemail. Panic set in as Sophie’s cries joined Ella’s. I rocked their car seats, forcing myself to think.
A stressed woman holding a phone | Source: Midjourney
“Mom,” I whispered. My hands shook as I dialed her number.
“Jenna?” Mom answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong? Are the twins okay?”
I choked out the words, barely able to hold it together. I hadn’t wanted to involve my mother due to her ailing condition, but I believed this was one of those dire moments.
“Derek… He changed the locks. He threw my stuff outside. Mom, he left this awful note.”
“WHAT?!” Her voice shot up. “Stay there. I’m coming.”
An upset older woman | Source: Midjourney
Minutes felt like hours before she arrived. Mom took one look at the mess and narrowed her eyes, fuming.
“This doesn’t make sense! Derek wouldn’t do this; he loves you and the girls!”
“That’s what I thought,” I said, rocking Ella to calm her cries. “But he’s not answering. And what does ‘I know everything’ even mean?” I asked showing her the offensive note.
“I am so sorry, my darling,” she said while hugging me close. “Let’s go to my place until we can get a hold of your husband, okay?”
An older woman hugging a younger one | Source: Midjourney
She helped me load the bags into her car and whisked us back to her place. After my mother and I dissected what had happened and repeatedly called Derek with no answer, my anxiety spiked. That night, I barely slept.
The next morning, I decided I needed answers. Leaving the twins with Mom, I drove back in her car to the house. The yard was empty, my belongings gone. I knocked on the door. No response. I walked around to the back, peering through the windows, and froze.
A shocked woman peaking through a window | Source: Midjourney
Derek’s mother, Lorraine, sat at the dining table, sipping tea! I banged on the door, and she looked up, startled, almost spilling her tea before she saw me and smirked.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, banging on the door.
Lorraine rose leisurely and opened it just a crack. “Jenna. You’re not welcome here, didn’t you see the note?”
“Where’s Derek?” I snapped. “Why did he—”
“He’s at the hospital in my city,” she said smoothly. “Taking care of his sick mother.”
A nonchalant older woman standing by a door | Source: Midjourney
I stared at her, disbelief washing over me. “Sick? You’re standing right here!”
She shrugged, her lips curling into a malicious smile. “Maybe I’m feeling better. Miracles happen.”
“You lied to him, didn’t you? You faked being sick!”
Her smile widened. “And?”
My hands balled into fists. “Why? Why would you do this?”
She crossed her arms, her smugness growing.
A smug older woman | Source: Midjourney
“I told Derek from the start that our family needs a boy to carry on the name. But you? You gave us two girls. Useless,” she confessed unapologetically, finally speaking her truth after all these years I’ve been with her son.
Her words knocked the air out of me. I was too stunned to speak, and she took my silence as permission to keep going.
“I knew you’d ruin my son’s life, so I took matters into my own hands. The note was a bit much, but I needed you to believe he wanted you gone. I even ensured he couldn’t call you by taking his phone right out of his pocket when he wasn’t looking. You were supposed to take your things and get out of our lives, but here you are…”
An angry older woman | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t breathe. This woman had orchestrated everything, lied to her son, and got him to take her to the hospital under false pretenses before sneaking away, locked me out of my home, and stole his phone all because she disapproved of my daughters!
“You threw us out over that?”
“Of course,” she said, unbothered. “I even bribed a nurse at the hospital to keep him there. And it worked, didn’t it?”
I felt sick. “You’re deranged!”
“Call me what you want,” she sneered. “I call it protecting my family. Besides, my Derek always takes my side and will see things my way as usual.”
An arrogant older woman | Source: Midjourney
Her words echoed in my mind as I drove to the hospital where my husband was still waiting. With every mile, my anger grew. How could she justify such cruelty? My hands gripped the wheel tightly, knuckles white with fury.
I knew my MIL was mean, but I didn’t think she was evil! She never approved of my relationship or marriage to her son, always believing Derek deserved someone wealthier and fancier, unlike me.
An upset woman driving | Source: Midjourney
When I reached the hospital, I found my husband pacing in the waiting room, his eyes shadowed with worry.
“Jenna!” he said, rushing toward me. “Where have you been? I don’t have my phone or know your number by heart, so I couldn’t call you!”
“Your mother took your phone,” I cut him off. “She faked her illness and locked me out of the house!”
He froze, confusion and anger flashing across his face. “What? That doesn’t make any sense.”
A man at a hospital | Source: Midjourney
“She set me up, wrote a fake note from you sending me away, and bribed a nurse to lie to you,” I said, my voice trembling. “Lorraine’s at our house, sipping tea like she’s the queen of the world!”
“Wait. What? Why would she…”
“Because our daughters aren’t boys,” I said bitterly.
The shock turned to rage on his face. Without saying a word, he grabbed his keys and stormed out, with me following close behind. When we got home, Lorraine was exactly where I’d left her, looking utterly unbothered.
An older woman having tea | Source: Midjourney
But her smugness vanished when she saw the determined look on Derek’s face.
“Mom,” he said, his voice cold and sharp. “What did you do? I thought you were in the hospital?”
She opened her mouth, likely to lie, but Derek cut her off. “Save it. I know everything.”
“Derek, I was just trying to—”
“You’ve done enough,” he snapped. “You made me abandon my wife and children for a fake emergency! Then you locked my wife, who just gave birth, and our newborn babies out of our home! On top of that, you cut our ability to communicate during such a crucial time by stealing my phone!”
An angry man shouting | Source: Midjourney
“Derek, darling… I just wanted to keep you safe. This isn’t how this was supposed to go,” my MIL replied pleadingly.
“Keep me safe from my wife and children? Who told you I wanted boys? What makes you think my girls aren’t good enough for me just because of their gender? That’s a problem you have, not me, and if you want sons, I suggest you go make them yourself!”
I stood with my mouth agape, having never seen Derek this angry! I won’t lie, a part of me was proud that he was proving himself worthy of me by defending my and the children’s honor. At that moment, I loved him more than ever before!
A happy woman | Source: Midjourney
“Pack your things and leave,” he demanded.
She gaped at him, tears forming. “You can’t mean that. I’m your mother!”
“And Jenna is my WIFE! Those are my daughters! If you can’t respect them, you’re not part of our lives!”
For once, Lorraine was speechless. She stormed upstairs to pack, slamming doors as she went. Derek turned to me, his eyes full of remorse.
“I’m so sorry, my love. I didn’t know.”
I let out a shaky breath, the tension easing just a little. “I just want us to move forward.”
A happy woman with her man | Source: Midjourney
Lorraine left that night. My husband apologized repeatedly, vowing to make things right. And he did. He changed the locks, blocked his mother’s number, and even reported the nurse who had taken the bribe!
It wasn’t easy, but for months we worked on rebuilding our life. One evening, as I rocked Ella and Sophie to sleep, I realized Lorraine had tried to destroy us but only managed to bring us closer together.
A happy couple with their twins | Source: Midjourney
Sadly, Jenna isn’t the only daughter-in-law who has had to face a difficult MIL. In the following story, Michelle’s MIL surprises her and her husband with a DNA test for their son thinking it would finally break them up. But things didn’t play out in her favor, the way she imagined.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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