When my son brought his fiancée home, I realized I knew her from the past. My excitement quickly turned to worry, and eventually, I ended up calling the police.

Xavier never shared details about his love life with us, his father or me. We weren’t sure if he had ever had a girlfriend or had been in love. But that day, he arrived home with a broad smile on his face and told us he was seeing someone special.

He described his girlfriend as the most wonderful, beautiful woman he had ever met.

They had been dating for three months, and he felt it was the right time to propose.

On the day we were to meet our future daughter-in-law, we were extremely excited. We wanted everything to be perfect for our son’s fiancée. We prepared a warm welcome to help her feel like part of the family.

I baked my famous cherry pie, roasted a chicken, and set the table with our finest dinnerware. Nathan, my husband, bought some expensive steaks just in case Cindy preferred beef over chicken.

The house was spotless, and everything was ready for the big moment.

Cindy was just as beautiful as Xavier had described: delicate, with large blue eyes.

As I looked at her more closely, I recognized her face. She was the same woman my friend Margaret had warned the entire neighborhood about. Margaret’s son had been cheated by this woman. She tricked him into buying an expensive engagement ring and spending thousands on “wedding expenses.” I had deleted the photo Margaret sent me, but I was sure it was her.

I had to protect my son from imminent heartache.

Unsure of my next move, I asked her to join me in the cellar to pick out a wine. Cindy, rather shy, simply nodded in agreement.

As soon as we entered the cellar, I locked the door behind her and rushed to the living room. “Nathan, call the police,” I shouted, while Xavier stared at me, dumbfounded.

“Mom, have you lost your mind? What are you doing?” he asked, still shocked by my actions.

“Xavier, your fiancée is a con artist. She tricked Margaret’s son. She stole his money and disappeared.”

At that moment, the police arrived at our door. But when they went to the cellar, Cindy was not scared at all. On the contrary, she had a smile on her face that completely confused me.

She turned to me and said, “Mrs. Fitzpatrick, I know what you think, but I am not that woman. She has made my life a living hell.” Cindy explained that people had mistaken her for the con artist several times, but they had different eye colors, despite looking very similar.

One of the police officers recalled the case. “The con artist did indeed use the name Cindy, but I heard she changed it to Rosaline or Rosemary. Her last trace was in Mexico, but this woman is not her,” he said.

Feeling embarrassed, I turned to Cindy and apologized. I was ashamed to look at her, but she hugged me and said that at least she would have a funny story to tell about how she first met Xavier’s parents, a story to share with their future children.

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