When my son introduced his fiancée to us, I realized I knew her from the past, and my excitement quickly turned into worry, leading me to call the police.

Xavier, my son, had never shared much about his personal life, not with me or his father. We were unaware if he had ever had a girlfriend or fallen for someone. But that day, he came home beaming and told us he was seeing someone.

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

They dated for three months before he felt it was time to propose.

On the day we were to meet our future daughter-in-law, we were over the moon with excitement. We wanted everything to be just perfect for our son’s fiancée. We arranged a warm, welcoming setting to make 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 in case Cindy preferred beef over chicken.

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

Cindy was as lovely as Xavier had described her: delicate, with large, bright blue eyes.

But 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 duped by this woman. She persuaded him to buy her a costly engagement ring and spend 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 inevitable heartbreak.

Unsure of my next move, I invited her to join me in the basement to select a wine. Cindy, quite shy, nodded in agreement.

As soon as we entered the basement, I locked the door behind her and dashed back to the living room. “Nathan, call the police,” I exclaimed, while Xavier stared at me, stunned.

“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.”

Just then, the police arrived at the door. But when they went to the basement, Cindy wasn’t frightened at all. She had a smile on her face that completely puzzled me.

She turned to me and said, “Mrs. Fitzpatrick, I understand what you think, but I am not that woman. She has made my life a real nightmare.” Cindy explained that people had mistaken her several times for the con artist, but their eye colors were different, despite their strong resemblance.

One of the police officers recalled the case. “The con artist indeed used the name Cindy, but we heard she changed it to Rosaline or Rosemary. Her last known whereabouts were in Mexico, but this woman is not her,” he said.

Embarrassed, I turned to Cindy and apologized. I was too ashamed to look at her, but she hugged me and said that at least she would have a funny story to tell her and Xavier’s future children about how she first met her in-laws.

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