What wouldn’t we do for our children and grandchildren? We would give them everything—our time, our hearts, even our last breath—just to show how deeply we love them.
But 68-year-old Benjamin, a wealthy father of five sons, made a bold and shocking decision. He sent each of them a letter… saying he was dead.
Yes, you read that right. He faked his own death. But why? To test his sons. To see who really loved him—not for his money, but for who he was as a father.
Everyone who knew Benjamin’s family knew one thing: he had worked his whole life to build his fortune. At just 21, Benjamin had started a business from scratch. It took years of sweat, hard work, and long nights, but he made it grow into something huge. Something powerful. Something valuable.
He had always told his sons—Jake, Simon, Kevin, Jose, and Rick—that hard work brings real success. That money doesn’t last if it comes without effort. But as they got older, the boys rolled their eyes at his speeches. They didn’t want wisdom. They wanted cash.
They saw him not as a father, but as a walking ATM.
After they moved out, they rarely visited. They only called when they needed something. “Dad, can you pay my credit card bill?” “Can you send me money for a business idea?” That was the only time Benjamin heard from them.
Things got even worse after Benjamin’s beloved wife, Lily, passed away. She had always been the glue that held the family together. Without her, the house grew quiet. The calls from his sons stopped completely.
He was alone. Heartbroken. And tired.
“I miss my boys,” he would whisper to himself every night. “Will they ever come back to me? Will they care when I’m gone?”
He kept hoping. Kept waiting.
And then, one day, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer.
That’s when the plan was born. He spoke to his lawyer and arranged for each of his sons to receive a letter. The letter announced that Benjamin had passed away. The funeral, it said, would be held at noon on Saturday. The lawyer added, “It was your father’s final wish to be laid to rest with all his beloved children present.”
But instead of mourning, the sons smiled. “Finally,” they thought, “let’s see what we get.”
They didn’t come to say goodbye. They didn’t shed a tear. They just messaged the lawyer asking about the will. “Who gets what?” “How much money is involved?”
They didn’t know the truth. Benjamin was still alive—and watching.
That Saturday, Benjamin sat in an armchair near the cemetery, hidden under a tree. His heart was pounding.
“Noon is almost here,” he whispered, checking his watch. “Maybe one of them will come…”
But no one came.
No Jake. No Simon. No Kevin. No Jose. No Rick.
Then, from a distance, he saw someone walking toward him.
It wasn’t a son.
It was a young woman. Dressed in black. Carrying flowers.
She looked around, confused. “Where’s the funeral?” she asked herself. “Did I come to the wrong place?”
Benjamin stood up and approached her. “Excuse me, young lady… do I know you?”
She looked surprised. “Wait… are you… Benjamin?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes. That’s me.”
The girl gasped. “But… you’re supposed to be dead!”
“I know,” he said, half-smiling.
“I’m Alice,” she said. “I’m Jake’s fiancée. I came to mourn his father… you.”
Benjamin blinked in shock. “Jake is engaged? He never told me.”
Alice frowned. “Well… now I understand why.”
She looked hurt, but also curious. “Why did you fake your death? Why lie to your own children?”
Benjamin sighed. Then he told her everything.
“I wanted to see who really cared. I’ve spent my life giving them everything. But they only love me when I give them money. I wanted to know who would come for me… not my money.”
Alice’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s heartbreaking,” she whispered.
She told Benjamin how she had begged Jake to come, but he refused. “He said he’d talk to the lawyer next week. He only cared about the inheritance.”
Benjamin’s heart broke all over again.
“You still came? Even when Jake told you not to?” he asked, surprised.
Alice nodded. “Yes. My parents taught me better than that. They taught me to respect my elders, to care for people. One day, I’ll be old too. And if my child abandoned me like this, it would crush my soul.”
Benjamin’s eyes filled with tears. He gently touched her hand.
“You are a rare kind soul, Alice. Thank you for being here.”
Two days later, another letter arrived in each of his sons’ mailboxes.
They were shocked.
“What do you mean he’s alive?” shouted Simon.
“Wait… what? The lawyer LIED to us?” Jake gasped.
Even more shocking? The will had already been signed. Benjamin had left everything—not to his sons—but to someone else.
“What?! Who did he leave it to?” Jose shouted.
They rushed to Benjamin’s home… and there she was.
Alice.
Taking care of their father like a true daughter.
“Alice?! What are you doing here?” Jake snapped. “You said you’d come back after the funeral!”
Benjamin stepped forward. “She did come to the funeral. The only one who did.”
Jake tried to explain. “Dad, we didn’t know—”
But Benjamin shook his head. “No more excuses. You never cared unless there was money involved. I won’t change the will.”
Alice looked at Jake with disappointment. She took off her engagement ring and handed it to him.
“I can’t be with someone who treats his own father like this,” she said. “One day, Jake, you’ll be old too. And when that day comes, I hope your child doesn’t do to you what you’ve done to him.”
Benjamin stood beside her, silent but proud.
Months passed. Benjamin’s health slowly declined. Alice stayed by his side every day, not for money, not for inheritance—but because she cared.
When he passed away peacefully in his sleep, she mourned him like a daughter.
The next day, she got a call from his lawyer.
“Miss Alice,” he said, “Mr. Parker has left his entire business and estate to you. It was his last wish.”
She was stunned.
“I didn’t do it for money,” she said quietly. “But I will honor his last wish.”
Benjamin’s sons were furious. They felt betrayed.
But the truth was, they had betrayed their father first.