A minted father who is unwilling to spend money to raise his newborn twins asks his wife to give up one baby for adoption. He kicks her out with the babies when she refuses and knocks on her door for help five years later.
It was a cold, rainy night, and Angie cradled her newborn babies at the bus stop. “Where will we go? Jesus, please help us. Shelter us as we wait out this rough night,” she cried, wiping warm tear droplets off her babies’ faces. Angie had nowhere to go, and her parents had died long back.
Suddenly, she sensed something creeping behind her and was terrified. Angie mustered the courage to protect her babies from whatever it was. “It’s a dog!” she sighed.
Angie never imagined her life would turn topsy-turvy overnight. She never thought her husband Jake, who she trusted and loved throughout their marriage, would kick her out with their babies just a week after their birth…
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
“How I wish my mom were with me today…Sorry, mama, I should’ve listened to you and not rushed with my marriage with Jake,” sobbed Angie, thinking about her late mom.
“You can stay in this house as long as you agree to keep just one baby or leave if you want to keep both. Decide wisely, dear.”
Angie met Jake after graduation five years ago. He was a young, handsome man, and she thought he was the one. They fell for each other in what would turn into a fairytale love story, but with one exception—there was no ‘happily ever after’ in Angie’s case.
Problems sparked in the fourth year of their marriage when she told Jake she was pregnant.
“But darling, you know I’ve just started my business. We have postponed baby planning all these years, and I am not ready to be a father yet,” Jake was upset when Angie showed him the two pink lines on her pregnancy test kit.
Jake’s reluctance to be a father showed he was unprepared for responsibilities. Poor Angie was torn between his disapproval of having children and her desire to have as many as possible. But was Jake prepared to know Angie was pregnant with twins?
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“I am okay with having a baby…you get it? I mean, one baby is enough,” said Jake as Angie walked into the ward for scanning. “I pray that you don’t come out and tell me we are having twins,” he joked, his mouth curved into an ironic smile. Moments later, fate joked back at him.
Angie came out, distressed and worried. She was pale while she was supposed to be blushing and smiling.
“What is it?” he asked her, impatient for her reply. “What did the doctor say?”
Angie swallowed her fear and spoke out, partly guessing Jake’s reaction. “Our babies are fine,” she said.
“Alright…wait, what…babies?” he exclaimed.
The scan Angie took minutes ago gave her a glimpse at two tiny lives growing inside her. She was pregnant with twins, and Jake was not happy about that.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Jake stormed to his car as Angie read his mind and pictured his frustrations. She was nervous and thought he had joked about having only one baby. But his reactions proved otherwise.
Jake grew distant from Angie day by day and focused only on making more money. She knew he was upset about having twins and assumed he would cool down with time. But it only worsened during her third trimester.
Angie was in the hospital, waiting for Jake to see their newborn twin baby girls. But he never showed up. He sent his maid and driver three days later to bring Angie and their babies home.
Jake did not want to get involved with his babies. He didn’t even welcome them home or hold them. He was unhappy and unprepared to be their father.
Angie returned home with her newborns that evening, knowing little about Jake’s condition. “We keep only one child and give the other up for adoption. If you are okay with it, we are a family. If not, you can leave the house with them,” he told Angie.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
At first, Angie thought Jake was kidding. He dragged her suitcase to the living room and placed it in front of her, indicating he was serious.
“I’m not ready to raise two children and burn a hole in my pocket. My business is fetching a lot of profits, and I need to focus on making more money…I don’t want to waste my time and wealth on raising two babies when I can easily raise just one,” he explained.
Angie was devastated. “They are our babies, Jake. How could you ask a mother to give up her baby? Are you out of your mind? Both my babies are our symbol of love,” she cried. But Jake was stubborn.
“My business has just started to flourish, and I don’t have the time to focus on family. I don’t want to waste my hard-earned money on two babies. You can stay in this house as long as you agree to keep just one baby or leave if you want to keep both. Decide wisely, dear,” he said, despite knowing Angie had nowhere to go.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
The poor mother’s choice was obvious. She took her suitcase and left the house with the babies. Jake’s greed for his newfound riches blinded his devotion to family. He failed as a husband and a father. But it didn’t matter to him.
Angie snapped to her present and found herself still deserted at the bus stop, cradling her babies. “Where will I go? Please help me, Jesus,” she cried and was disrupted by an intense beam of light rays.
“Hello there, are you alright? It’s raining heavily. Would you like a ride, my dear?” an older woman called out to her from a taxi. Angie looked up and saw a nun. She wrapped her babies in her jacket and approached the car.
“Oh my, how adorable your babies are!” exclaimed the nun. “Get in. I’ll drop you. Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know, Sister,” said Angie. “My path is dark, and I am lost. I don’t know which way to go. My babies and I were abandoned by someone dear to us.”
The nun understood Angie’s misery and immediately took her to the convent.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Angie and her daughters, Sophie and Marley, found a safe shelter to wait out the rough days of their lives. Angie taught in the school administered by the church. She also worked part-time in a restaurant, and two years later, she saved a good chunk of money to start her café.
Gradually, Angie was able to give her daughters a better life, though it could’ve been much better had their father been involved. Moreover, Angie did not regret her decision not wanting to divorce Jake. Deep in her heart, she hoped he would realize his mistake and come for them someday.
Five years passed, and Angie now had her own house. It was quite small yet comfortable. She spent the best years watching Sophia and Marley grow up.
There were times when Angie used to struggle without enough profits in business, but her faith and determination motivated her. She launched two more coffee shops in town, and gradually, her fortune grew. But in the other part of town, Jake’s business tanked.
He was drowned in debt, and everybody he sought financial help from refused to support him at the last minute. Jake knew how rich Angie was now and thought only she could help him.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
“Hey, how are you?” Angie answered the door one day when she least expected to see Jake at the doorstep. “Come in!”
Jake vaguely smiled and immediately apologized to Angie. “Darling, I’m so sorry for abandoning you. My greed to earn more money cost me big. I am bankrupt, and it’s the best punishment I deserve for kicking you out with our babies. Please forgive me, and please help me.”
Angie now understood why Jake had come. She had learned about his loss in business but never thought he would visit her and apologize, let alone ask for help.
Jake saw a photo of Angie with their daughters and cried. “I’m sorry, sweethearts. Please forgive your daddy,” he said. Angie’s heart melted, and though she knew Jake had come crawling for help, she was willing to do it because she still loved him.
“But darling, I will not be able to repay such a huge amount of money. I will need time. I was such a cruel husband and a heartless father. Are you sure you want to help me?” he sobbed when Angie gave him a check worth the money he wanted.
“The night you kicked me out, I learned what greed is and how it can ruin relationships. And today, I learned what forgiveness is. What are we going to achieve by holding onto our past grudges? Nothing! Everyone makes mistakes, but as humans, we must learn to forgive one another,” said Angie.
Jake realized his mistake and promised to take Angie and their kids back once he sorted his business issues. He wanted to be a good father to his children and compensate for the heartbreak Angie endured all these years.
My Daughter’s Twin? I Confronted My Husband About a Possible Affair—What I Discovered Will Shock You
When a new family moved in next door, I couldn’t help but notice how much their daughter looked like mine. It made me suspicious. Could my husband be having an affair? I needed to ask him, but the truth I discovered was much worse than I expected.
Emma and Lily, my daughter, were playing together in our backyard. They were twirling around like two bright sunflowers trying to catch the sunlight. Their laughter should have made me happy, but instead, it made me feel uneasy.
I squinted, trying to find any difference between my daughter and the new neighbor’s girl. But it felt like I was looking at two identical pictures. They had the same golden curls shining in the sunlight, the same button noses, and the same playful sparkle in their eyes.
The only clear way I could tell Emma apart from Lily was that Emma was about an inch taller than her new friend.
“Heather?” Jack’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I forced a smile and looked back at my husband. “Just thinking.”
I didn’t mention how I was worried that our perfect little world might be on shaky ground.
Jack looked confused for a moment, but then Emma came running over and grabbed his hand.
“Come push Lily and me on the swing, Dad!” she shouted.
“Uh… sure, sweetie.” His smile didn’t seem genuine as he let Emma lead him to the swing, where Lily was already waiting.
“Can I go first, pleeease?” Lily asked.
“Okay, but then it’s Emma’s turn,” Jack replied.
As he helped Lily onto the swing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they looked so comfortable together, like a father and daughter. That thought twisted my stomach with worry.
Later that night, after I tucked Emma in, I found myself looking through old photo albums. I flipped through pages of Emma’s baby pictures, hoping to find some feature that clearly showed she looked like Jack.
“What are you doing?” Jack’s voice startled me.
He stood in the doorway, looking confused.
I quickly shut the album. “Nothing. Just… reminiscing.”
“Reminiscing…” he repeated, frowning a little as he looked over my shoulder at the photo album in my lap.
I could see the questions in his eyes, but he didn’t ask any. Just like I didn’t bring up the growing distance between us or why he always changed the subject when I mentioned our new neighbors.
Days turned into weeks, and my suspicions grew like weeds in a neglected garden. Every shared laugh between Jack and Lily, and every nervous glance when I mentioned the neighbors only fed the growing doubt in my mind.
One sleepless night, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I turned to Jack in bed.
“Is Lily your daughter?” I asked suddenly.
The words hung in the air like smoke, heavy and suffocating. Jack’s body went stiff.
“What?” He turned slowly, his face full of shock. “Heather, what are you talking about? Where is this coming from?”
“Don’t play dumb, Jack. The girls look exactly alike. And you’ve been acting strange ever since Lily and her family moved in.” My voice trembled. “Just tell me the truth. Did you have an affair?”
Jack sat up, running a hand through his hair. “This is crazy. Of course, I didn’t have an affair! I promised you before God. How can you think I would break that?”
“Then why won’t you talk about them? Why do you shut down every time I mention Lily?”
He hung his head, and his silence spoke louder than words. I could almost hear him thinking, deciding what to say or not say.
“I can’t… I can’t talk about this right now,” he finally said, swinging his legs off the bed.
“Jack, don’t you dare walk away from me!”
But he was already out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts and fears.
The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed and a note on the nightstand. “Gone to work early. We’ll talk tonight.”
Classic Jack, always avoiding confrontation.
I spent the day in a haze, trying to act normal while my mind raced with worry. By afternoon, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed answers, and I knew just where to find them.
“Emma, sweetie,” I called out. “Why don’t you go play with Lily for a bit?”
Emma eagerly ran out the door, and I waited an hour before I followed, my heart pounding in my chest. I knocked on the neighbor’s door, forcing my best “neighborhood mom” smile onto my face.
Lily’s father answered, his friendly grin faltering slightly when he saw me. “Hey, it’s Heather, right? It’s so good to finally meet you! Please, come in. I’m Ryan. Emma’s out back with Lily if you’re looking for her.”
“I am… could you call her, please?” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.
As soon as Ryan turned his back to call the girls, I started searching through his living room.
There were many framed photos of Ryan and Lily with people who mostly shared Ryan’s dark hair and olive skin tones. I guessed they were his family. But why were there no photos of Lily’s mom?
Then it hit me—why had I never seen Lily’s mom?
I peeked down the hallway. That’s when a large photo of a blonde woman hanging on the wall upstairs caught my eye. Without thinking, I hurried up the stairs.
“What are you doing?” Ryan’s voice came from behind me, startling me.
I turned and saw Ryan frowning at me. A million excuses rushed through my mind, but none came out. I had to know the truth.
“Is that Lily’s mom? Where is she?” I asked, pointing at the photo.
Ryan flinched. “Yeah… that’s Mary. She’s no longer with us.”
“Because of Jack?” I hurried down the stairs. “They had an affair, didn’t they? And that’s why Lily and Emma look so much alike, isn’t it?”
We talked for hours, and Jack finally shared years of family secrets and shame. With each revelation, I felt the space between us getting smaller.
As the sun began to set, I heard Emma and Lily’s laughter coming through the open window. Jack and I moved to the window to watch them, two golden heads bobbing in the fading light like sunflowers.
I leaned against him, feeling the steady beat of his heart. The girls still looked like two copies of the same photograph, but now I understood the deeper truth behind their resemblance.
The girls’ similar looks weren’t a sign of betrayal but a sign of healing: a second chance for a broken family.
Emma and Lily’s laughter echoed in the backyard again as they twirled around, and it felt like a promise of new beginnings. This time, the sound didn’t chill me; it warmed my heart.
Leave a Reply