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Man peeping through the window | Source: Midjourney
Man peeping through the window | Source: Midjourney

My New Neighbor Was the Perfect Man Next Door Until I Overheard His Plan Against Me – Story of the Day

Mariia Kobzieva
Apr 30, 2025
02:17 P.M.

My perfect neighbor fixed my car, won over my son, and made me believe in men again. But our first date ended with my ex at the gate and a secret I wish I’d never heard.

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After the divorce, I was left with three things: a small house on the outskirts of town, my three-year-old son Kevin, and silence.

My husband had stripped me of everything else: our car, our accounts, even the coffee machine I had bought for myself.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“You’re lucky, really,” the lawyer said. “You got the house because of the child.”

Lucky. What a joke. He just didn’t want to pay child support.

For the first month after the divorce, I breathed. I sat in the kitchen and waited for the day I’d want to do something again. Sometimes, turned on the stove just to hear a sound.

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Eventually, I started coming back to life. I found comfort in takeaway coffee cups, a blush palette I dug out from the bottom of a forgotten makeup bag, and weekly conversations with my friend Sofie.

“You alive in there?” Sofie asked one day when I finally agreed to grab coffee with her. She held out two cups without lids, so the steam rises, for dramatic effect.

“I’m trying,” I said, sinking into the cheap plastic café chair. “Maybe I’ll become a person again.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

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“Or maybe a woman,” she winked.

We laughed that day, though we both knew it wasn’t a victory. But it was something. A start.

The very next morning, I stood next to my car in a robe thrown over my jeans, hair a tangled mess.

“Come on. Come on, sweetheart… We had a deal just two days ago. Don’t do this. Not today…”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

The car wheezed, teased me twice with a false start, and then went dead. Kevin, sitting in the backseat in his hoodie, crushed his toy dinosaur between tiny fists. I just wanted to get to work. Just once without chaos.

“Car trouble?” came a voice from behind.

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I turned quickly. A stranger was standing behind the fence. He was tall, fit, and fresh-faced. He was too clean for someone standing near my busted Toyota at 7 a.m.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“I’m late and she’s rebelling.”

“I’m Alex. New neighbor, I can give you a lift, if you don’t mind. My van’s parked just over there.”

I looked around. No other options. Just that man, or tears over my hood.

“If your van runs,” I said with a shaky laugh, “you’re mine forever.”

Alex gave us a ride to daycare. He didn’t talk too much. Just offered to drop me off at the office, too. I nodded in quiet disbelief.

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

That evening, as I returned home, ready to melt into the sofa, I spotted a familiar-looking back hunched under my car’s open hood.

Alex!

“Saving your Toyota,” he said, still bent over. “Spark plugs. Old as my uncle. Swapping them out. She’ll start up smoothly now.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

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“You’re joking. What, you just happened to have tools lying around?”

“Almost. I just hate seeing good girls stranded.”

I stared at him silently as he wiped his hands on a rag. I wanted to ask why he was being so kind. But instead...

“How much do I owe you?”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

“Just a thank-you. Or maybe coffee in the morning. I like it milky, with double sugar.”

And the next morning, he was standing by my porch, with that exact coffee. I smiled at him and took the cup.

Could miracles really start like this?

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Back then, I had no idea. But some miracles… come with a reason. And not all of them bring the ending you hoped for.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

***

Alex quickly became part of our lives, and I barely had time to resist. He brought over a bookshelf. Bought Kevin a train set. Made coffee better than any café. For free.

And the worst part... He was always there right when I needed someone the most.

“So, Mrs. ‘I-Don’t-Trust-Men-Anymore’” Sofie tilted her head, watching me stir sugar into my latte:

“When are you going on a date with the neighbor?”

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“I don’t know... He’s younger. And way too perfect.”

“If you don’t go on a date with him, I swear, I will.”

Sofie sipped her coffee. “He makes great espresso and drills like a pro. I’m not missing out.”

I laughed, blushing slightly. The idea of dating still felt like wearing high heels after months in slippers.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

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And that evening, as if the universe overheard, Alex said:

“By the way, I picked up some amazing steaks. Want to join me for a barbecue tonight?”

I gave in. I wore my favorite jeans and a white polo. Dropped Kevin off at Sofie’s. And headed next door.

It was our first official date.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Dinner melted in my mouth. Soft music curled through the air like a whisper. His gaze was almost shy. He had even prepared bug spray.

I noticed how his hands moved when he lit the grill. Calm, practiced. Like he wasn’t trying to impress me. He just wanted the evening to go right.

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“I never thought I’d just... sit here and smile again,” I admitted, sipping tea.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

“I never thought I’d meet a woman who fights like hell and still manages to glow.”

And then I heard it. A car pulled up by the gate. Someone started banging—loud, furious, fists slamming against the metal.

“Open the damn gate!”

My stomach dropped. That voice. I knew it.

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

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It was my EX.

“Of course you’d be here!” he yelled from the other side. “Having a cozy barbecue like a happy little family!”

I jumped up from the table. Alex froze mid-step.

“You didn’t think I’d find out?” my ex kept yelling. “Your neighborly date was visible from the street. Guess who drove by at just the right time!”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

“What are you doing here?” I shouted back.

“Coming to get my son! But he’s not even home. While his mother’s too busy here with my brother!”

Alex’s head dropped. I turned slowly to him.

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“Please tell me he’s lying.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

But he didn’t say a word. And then, the gate creaked open. Alex had unlocked it. And my ex marched in like a storm.

“Same father. Different moms. Shared DNA. And guess what? We’re gonna use that.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Simple. If Alex turns out to be the real father, not me, then... boom! You’re an adulteress. The court’ll rule that Kevin isn’t mine. And guess what else isn’t yours? That house.”

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

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“That’s insane. He’s not the father, and you know it!”

I turned to Alex.

“Alex? Say something.”

Alex didn’t say a word. His eyes dropped to the ground.

That silence? It told me everything.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

I felt something crack inside me. Like the click of a lock—only in reverse.

“So it was true?” I whispered. “It was all a plan?”

Alex swallowed hard. He glanced at me, then dropped his eyes.“It… it wasn’t my idea,” he muttered.

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“Then whose?”

He said nothing for a moment. Then exhaled slowly.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

“My mom. She said no judge would question a test from a ‘reputable lab.’ Said it would be clean, airtight.”

He paused, his voice thin.

“Her best friend runs the place. I just had to… give the sample. And keep you close. But I didn’t expect to actually fall for you.”

My ex burst out laughing, loud and bitter.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

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“Oh, come on, Alex! What is this, a soap opera? You were supposed to play her, not fall for her!”

Alex flinched.

“You had one job. Seduce. Distract. Get the house. And now look at you—moaning like some sad puppy.”

“I didn’t mean...” Alex stammered. “I didn’t want it to go this far…”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

“You’re pathetic,” my ex spat. “We had her wrapped around your finger. All you had to do was smile and stay quiet.”

Alex opened his mouth, but no words came. I took a breath. Cold. Calm.

“Get out. Both of you. Now.”

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A perfect evening had turned into an ambush. But I didn’t cry. I chose to fight.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

***

I didn’t sleep that night. I didn’t cry, either. I opened tabs. I made calls. I read about DNA testing, inheritance law, and the dirty tricks people use in court.

And then Sofie, bless her, called in a favor from an old friend.

The lab technician who signed off on the DNA test?

She is my ex-MIL's goddaughter!

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

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Sofie even found out which clinic. It all fit. Fake test. Swapped samples. A neat little plan.

The next morning, Alex stood at my doorstep. He looked pale, like someone who finally realized they weren’t the hero of their own story.

“My brother used my DNA instead of his,” he began. “They wanted to prove Kevin was mine, not his. To paint you as a cheater. To take the house. It was my mom’s plan. I thought I was just helping family… but then you happened.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

I didn’t let him finish. I raised my hand and quietly tapped the screen of my phone.

“Remember last night? When you tried to explain?”

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I hit play on the voice memo.

“Mom and I calculated everything. If she admits to cheating, the court's in our pocket.”

Alex’s face drained of color.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

“This is going to court,” I said calmly. “And I will win.”

“I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth anymore.”

He didn’t argue. Just left. The chessboard flipped. I was not the pawn anymore. I was the one making the next move.

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For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

***

The trial didn’t take long.

My lawyers had everything. My ex tried to spin it, but the judge wasn’t buying it. He granted me sole ownership of the house, no loopholes, and no strings attached.

Alex disappeared. I didn’t ask where.

Later, I sat at the kitchen table with Sofie.

“I’m the worst friend ever,” she said. “I pushed you to go on that stupid date.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

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“I let myself believe. Because I wanted to. I needed something good. Someone kind. Even if it was fake.”

“You didn’t deserve any of this.”

“No. But I handled it.”

“So... is it over?”

“No.” I smiled. “It’s starting.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

“I heard you won the countersuit?”

“Yep.” I raised my cup. “Moral damages. Enough for a new coffee machine. And maybe even a second house.”

Sofie burst out laughing.

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“He tried to break you. But girl, you just sharpened.”

“I still have Kevin. And I have peace.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Kevin called from the other room, asking if I wanted to help build his train tracks. I smiled.

“Be right there, sweetheart.”

That was the only home I needed. I stood up, stretched, and looked out the window. The yard was quiet.

“Next time someone rings my doorbell with a latte, they better come without a hidden agenda.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

For illustration purposes only | Source: Midjourney

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Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

If you enjoyed this story, read this one: I spent the little I had just to see my granddaughter smile on her birthday. But before she even saw me, her other grandma called me a beggar—and had me thrown out like I didn’t matter at all. Read the full story here.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.

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