Ten years after vanishing, Sara’s ex-fiancé, Daniel, reappears on her doorstep with a lawyer, demanding custody of the son he’d abandoned. Secrets unravel as Sara fights to protect the life she built with Adam, and the true reason behind Daniel’s sudden return threatens everything.
Yesterday, while Adam got ready for school upstairs, I savored my last sip of coffee when the doorbell rang. I assumed it was a neighbor or the mailman.
But when I opened the door, my heart lurched.
Daniel.
I hadn’t thought about him in years, except in fleeting moments when Adam asked about his father. But this was not how I imagined seeing him again.
He stood there, ten years older but unchanged. Next to him was a man in an expensive suit, clutching a folder.
“Why are you here?” I croaked.
Daniel cut to the chase. “I’m here to take back my son.”
My heart stopped. After a decade of silence, he thought he could waltz back and take Adam away?
“You’re not taking him,” I whispered. “You have no right.”
Daniel’s lawyer stepped forward, handing me the folder. “Ma’am, you’ve been served.”
My hands shook as I read the legal jargon: custody, contest, court. My life with Adam, built over ten years, was about to unravel.
Ten years ago
Daniel had swept into my life, bringing his three-year-old son, Adam, from his previous marriage. He was charming but broken, and I thought I could fix him. Adam was the best part, and I became his stepmom, feeling like I belonged.
Then one morning, I woke up to an empty bed. I thought he might’ve gone for a run, but hours passed with no sign of him. Panic set in when I found the note: “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
I was left to explain to Adam that his daddy was gone. He didn’t cry but said, “Daddy said he’d come back one day.” Weeks turned into months, and Adam stopped asking.
After Daniel left, I faced a nightmare. Child Protective Services got involved, and as a stepmom, I had no legal rights. They didn’t care that I was the only mother Adam knew. I fought tirelessly, enduring sleepless nights and endless court dates, and in the end, I won. I adopted Adam legally and vowed no one would take him from me again.
The present day
Staring at the legal papers, rage and fear washed over me.
“Mom?” Adam’s hesitant voice broke through my thoughts. I realized he had overheard everything.
“It’s nothing,” I lied, forcing a smile. But it wasn’t fine.
I hired a lawyer, determined to protect Adam. As the case unfolded, we discovered Daniel’s true motive: Adam’s grandfather had recently passed down a large inheritance, and Daniel wanted custody to get his hands on Adam’s money.
The court hearing came quickly. My lawyer, Judith, prepped me for the questions, but nothing prepared me for seeing Daniel again. His lawyer argued that Daniel, as Adam’s biological father, had the right to custody, painting him as a man ready to step up.
But Judith laid out the truth: Daniel hadn’t been a part of Adam’s life for ten years. Then she revealed the inheritance, stating Daniel was motivated by greed, not love.
The judge turned to Adam. “You’re thirteen now; I want to hear from you.”
Adam stood, surprising everyone. “Sara has been my mom for ten years. I don’t know the man sitting there. I want to stay with the only person who has ever cared for me.”
The courtroom fell silent.
The judge nodded, her expression softening. “Your decision is clear.” With that, the gavel came down. Adam would stay with me.
Daniel left the courtroom, a defeated shadow of the man I once loved.
Outside, Adam turned to me, smiling. “I’m glad it’s over, Mom.”
“Me too,” I whispered, pulling him into a tight embrace.
As we walked down the courthouse steps, Adam asked, “What do we do with the inheritance now?”
I smiled softly. “That money is yours, Adam. I’ll never take a cent of it. It’s for your future.”
He looked up, his eyes full of warmth. “My future is with you, Mom.”
This work is inspired by real events but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental. The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not liable for any misinterpretation.
Dolores Catania mentioned that she needs to start using Ozempic again because she thinks she’s gained about 20 pounds over the summer. She said she’s going to get back on it quickly.
Dolores Catania is about to get her next Ozempic dose. She told Page Six at the MTV Video Music Awards that she’s taking her shot the next day and mentioned she’s overdue for it but hasn’t stopped using it.
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Dolores Catania, 53, said she gained a few pounds this summer because of her travels. She visited South Africa for conservation work and Lisbon, Portugal for fun.
She mentioned that she’s probably 20 pounds heavier now and needs to start using Ozempic again right away.
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Dolores Catania supports her decision to use Ozempic for weight loss, saying that many celebrities do the same, whether openly or privately.
She feels good using it and mentioned that she’s researched it thoroughly and spoken to many doctors, none of whom have said it’s bad for her. She also shared that her boyfriend, Paul Connell, has had great results with Ozempic. He lost 50 pounds and no longer needs blood pressure medication.
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Dolores Catania was one of the first celebrities to openly say she uses Ozempic for weight loss, but she told Page Six in April 2023 that she does it for medical reasons.
She explained that she’s dealing with menopause, thyroid issues, and inflammation, which make it hard for her to lose weight. Despite working out and eating well, she was still gaining weight due to these issues.
While Catania has had good results with Ozempic, some people have warned about possible side effects.
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Sharon Osbourne has said she’s lost too much weight from using Ozempic and now struggles to gain weight back.
Recently, Lottie Moss, Kate Moss’s younger sister, had to go to the hospital after getting very dehydrated and having a seizure because she took too much of the drug.
A recent study also found that Ozempic has been connected to 162 deaths in the US.
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