$\"Bart$ \n\n
Bart Garrow was a con man and he preyed on older women.\n\n
Clara felt as if she was the most cherished woman in the world, as if finally someone saw her, Clara, in all her fragility, strength, and complexity. And so she fell in love.\n
When two months after their first meeting Bart fell on one knee and asked her to marry him, she didn\u2019t even hesitate. Clara said yes and proudly wore the huge diamond Bart had given her.\n
The two started planning their wedding. Bart said, \u201cI know you were married before, Clara, but I wasn\u2019t. I want a big wedding, and I want you to wear white for me.\u201d\n
Clara blushed. \u201cOh Bart!\u201d she gasped. \u201cAt my age! White is for virgin brides, young girls\u2026\u201d\n
Bart kissed her hand and whispered, \u201cClara, I think I won your virgin heart. Tell me, have you ever loved anyone the way you love me? Because I know I\u2019ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you.\u201d\n
So of course, Clara went shopping for a gorgeous wedding dress and melted every time Bart played \u201cWhite Lace and Promises\u201d for her. Clara was flying high on love, and that was when Bart struck.\n
\n
\n
$\"Bart$ \n\n
Bart made Clara fall in love with him.\n\n
One Friday afternoon he picked her up for a picnic, but he was not quite himself. He was distracted, distant. \u201cDarling, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d asked Clara, worried.\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nothing, my sweet,\u201d Bart said smiling. \u201cIt\u2019s just business, nothing to worry your pretty head about.\u201d\n
\u201cYou know,\u201d Clara said. \u201cI have an MBA! I might be able to help!\u201d\n
\u201cClara, the thing is, I\u2019ve been offered the possibility of buying into a new company and it might be the deal of a lifetime,\u201d Bart said sadly. \u201cUnfortunately, my money is tied up in a six-month deposit my financial manager concocted for taxes\u2026 And so I\u2019m going to have to pass the opportunity by.\u201d\n
\n
\n
$\"Bart$ \n\n
Bart proposed with a stunning ring.\n\n
\u201cHow much is it, Bart?\u201d asked Clara.\n
\u201cTwo hundred thousand dollars,\u201d Bart said. \u201cQuite a chunk of cash.\u201d\n
\u201cBut Bart,\u201d Clara cried. \u201cI can lend you the money!\u201d\n
\u201cNo, Clara,\u201d Bart said firmly. \u201cI won\u2019t take a cent from you! What if something goes wrong? No, never!\u201d But Clara kept insisting and Bart, feigning great reluctance, finally agreed but on one condition.\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll go to my bank, Clara,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll give you the transfer code, so if anything goes wrong you know you\u2019ll get your money back!\u201d\n
Bart took Clara to the bank and showed her the printout of his account that held $8.3 million, then he gave her the code. After that, Clara happily wrote Bart a check for $200,000.\n
\u201cBabe,\u201d Bart said with tears in his eyes. \u201cI love you so much! I\u2019m going straight to the broker with this, and I\u2019ll pick you up for dinner tonight at 20:00, OK? Wear something special!\u201d\n
\n
\n
$\"Bart$ \n\n
Bart convinced Clara to buy a white wedding dress.\n\n
That night, Clara dressed up to the nines and wore Bart\u2019s favorite perfume then waited impatiently for 20:00. Bart, of course, didn\u2019t show up. Clara was frantic with worry. What could have happened to him?\n
She phoned him several times but the calls went to voice mail time after time. By Saturday morning, Clara was a wreck. She was sure Bart had an accident, that he lay somewhere in a hospital\u2026\n
Finally, Bart answered the phone. \u201cYes?\u201d he snapped coldly. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d\n
\u201cBart!\u201d gasped Clara. \u201cThank God you\u2019re alright! I\u2019ve been so worried\u2026\u201d\n
\n
\n
$\"Bart$ \n\n
Bart gave Clara the code for his bank account.\n\n
\u201cListen you old bag, stop calling me, OK?\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re finished. I have what I wanted from you.\u201d\n
\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d asked Clara bewildered. \u201cBart, I think you must be ill\u2026\u201d\n
\u201cI\u2019m sick of you, is what it is!\u201d he snapped. \u201cAre you so stupid you don\u2019t know you\u2019ve been conned?\u201d And with that, he disconnected the call. When Clara tried to call again she realized she\u2019d been blocked.\n
Bart smiled. He derived as much satisfaction from hurting the women as from taking their money, and Clara with her gentle smile and kind heart had been so irritating\u2026 Bart stepped out of his building aglow with satisfaction.\n
Maybe he was ready to settle down now, just one more con\u2026 Bart stepped out onto the street and was still smiling when a speeding taxi ran him over. There was no saving him. He was gone. And since he\u2019d listed Clara as next of kin at his bank, the police contacted her.\n
\n
\n
$\"Bart$ \n\n
Bart was run over by a taxi.\n\n
Clara was stunned! Just an hour after he\u2019d broken her heart Bart was dead! It was almost as if Karma had taken a hand. \u201cThe bank\u2026\u201d Clara gasped. He wouldn\u2019t have had time to cancel the code he\u2019d given her!\n
So Clara contacted a funeral home and arranged everything for a modest funeral for the late unlamented Bart. Monday morning, bright and early, Clara was at the bank and she transferred the entire $8.3 million to her bank account.\n
Bart\u2019s funeral wasn\u2019t well attended, except for two other women Clara recognized from the neighborhood. Then Clara saw the engagement rings on their fingers \u2014 identical to hers!\n
\u201cHow much did he take you ladies for?\u201d Clara asked.\n
\n
\n
\n
$\"Clara$ \n\n
Clara got all of Bart\u2019s money.\n\n\n
\n
Tessa sniffed. \u201cHe took $430,000\u2026 All I had.\u201d\n
Frannie sighed. \u201cWith me, it was $300,000! All my savings. I\u2019m going to be struggling,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the diamond? It\u2019s glass! He got us good!\u201d\n
Clara grinned. \u201cNo he didn\u2019t!\u201d she said. \u201cKarma got him! He died before he could cancel the withdrawal code he gave me and I got the entire $8.3 million!\u201d\n
Clara split the money with Frannie and Tessa, and a week later, the three women left for the Bahamas for vacation, paid for by Bart!\n
\n
\n
$\"Clara$ \n\n
\n\n
What can we learn from this story?\n
Whenever a boyfriend or lover mentions money, head for the door!\u00a0Clara, Frannie, and Tessa fell for the oldest trick in the book. Keep money and love separate.\n
Sooner or later, the bill for malice will come due. Bart lived by conning women and breaking their hearts, but Karma brought his career to a sudden halt.\n
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.\n
If you enjoyed this story, you might like\u00a0this one\u00a0about a florist who becomes curious when she notices an 89-year-old man buying red roses every day, so she follows him.\n
This account is inspired by our reader\u2019s story 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\u2019s life.\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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