For weeks, I stayed up late, watching cameras and setting traps to catch the thief stealing from my small grocery store. I had run the store for years and loved my customers like family

After installing cameras and alarms, I finally caught the thief on footage—a boy, barely fourteen, with familiar eyes. He was my daughter’s son. Alice had run away fifteen years ago, and I had spent years searching for her.

I followed the boy to a house and found Alice, now grown and living nearby. Travis admitted he stole to help with their money problems. Alice tearfully explained she left because she thought I hated her.

We hugged, and all the years of pain melted away. Alice promised to take care of Travis, and I realized—if he hadn’t stolen from my store, I might never have found my family again.