Emma’s world is shattered when a stranger claims to be her mother on her 18th birthday. Desperate for answers, she abandons everything to discover a shocking truth. Was she taken or abandoned? With the key to a fortune, who wants her and who wants her wealth?
I knew I was adopted as a child. My parents never hid it. It was like my love of vanilla ice cream, grooming horses, or needing a nightlight until I was twelve.
They said I was chosen. That parents waited years for a kid and loved me immediately when they found me.
Naturally, I believed them.
My life was good. A warm home. My parents never missed a soccer game, forgot my birthday, or made me feel less than their daughter.
They made my school lunches, helped me with homework, and comforted me after my first heartbreak. I cooked dinner with my parents every day. I didn’t care if I was studying or working.
It was home. I was home.
I never questioned my origins.
However, something unusual began in the weeks before my 18th birthday.
It started with emails.
The first came from an unfamiliar address.
Happy early birthday, Emma. I’ve considered you. I want to chat.
No name. No context. I ignored it.
Facebook friend requests from profile without photos followed. The name was Sarah W. I didn’t answer the request in my email.
It was my birthday morning when the knock arrived.
I almost didn’t reply. Like every year, my parents made pancakes and bacon for my birthday breakfast. However, that knock made my gut clench.
For some reason, I felt a dreadful omen was coming over us.
“You’ll get the door, honey?” Mom inquired while taking bacon.
I answered, “Sure, Mom,” wiping my hands.
When I opened the door, I knew everything would change.
A woman on the porch clutched the railing like it was her only support. She had unkempt blonde hair and heavy bags under her sunken eyes. She looked at me and took a deep breath like she had been holding it for years.
“Emma?” she exclaimed.
“Yeah… who are you?” I hesitated.
Her throat bobbed, lower lip twitched. In a whisper, she whispered the words that changed everything, precisely as I’d sensed seconds earlier.
“I’m your mother.”
My floor felt shaky.
“Your real mother,” she approached.
I felt a cold, twisted stomach.
No way. No way.
This must be wrong.
She continued, “I know this is a shock,” with a rough voice. But Emma, please. Please hear me.”
I should have closed the door. I should have asked my parents to handle this. But I didn’t. Unable to move.
The look in her eyes implied more than simply despair. It was sad. Regret. Standing across from her sparked a longing in my bones.
“Your adoptive parents lied to you,” she replied, wiping her forehead with her palm.
My entire body stiffened.
Emma, they duped me. She grabbed my hands, trembling.
“What on earth are you talking about?” I said.
In tears, she took a folder from her luggage and shoved a stack of papers into my hands.
Unsure of what to anticipate, I looked down.
Records of birth. Authentic birth records.
A signature appeared beneath a massive block of text.
Her name.
“I never wanted to give you up, Emmie,” she whispered. I called you that when you were in my womb. Though young and afraid, they told me I wasn’t good enough. That you’d benefit without me. Their manipulation has haunted me daily.”
I reviewed the papers. My hands shook. My mind froze.
Emmie?
Could it be?
Have my parents lied to me? All my life?
Squeezing my hands harder.
Give me a chance, love. Please join me. Allow me to demonstrate your destiny.”
No, I should have said. I should have slammed the door at her.
Right?
But I didn’t.
Because some small, damaged part of me needed to know.
Sarah and I agreed to meet at a diner.
Later, my heart was thumping so hard it felt like it could rock the living room floor. My parents sat across from me; their smiles were hopeful. They were smiling, cheerful, and unaware of my bomb drop.
Mom: “Ready for the cake and ice cream?”
Swallowed. Dry throat felt like sandpaper.
“Something happened this morning,” I add.
First, my mom’s smile disappeared.
Dad put down his coffee.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
My mouth opened. Shut it. God, how should I say this?
The words came out forced.
“A woman came to the house.”
Both stiffened.
“She… she said she’s my biological mother.”
Room air changed.
My mom’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the couch. My dad’s face turned stone, like someone had stolen all his warmth away suddenly.
Both remained silent.
“She told me that…” My voice shook. I stabilized. “She claimed you lied. That you duped her into giving me up.”
My mother shakily breathed, and the sound of pain made my stomach twist.
“Emma,” she said. “That is absolutely not true.”
“Then why did she say it?” I requested.
Dad inhaled slowly through his nose, attempting to be calm.
“Because she knew it would get to you.”
Shaking my head.
“You don’t know that.”
“Emma, we do,” my mom said, her eyes still wet. “We anticipated this day. We didn’t expect this.”
I resisted her hand. She flinched like I hit her.
“I just…” Swallowed the lump in my throat. “She wants to know me. Maybe I want to know her too.”
Silence.
Suffocatingly heavy.
“What exactly are you saying, Emma?” my dad asked.
“I told her I’d stay with her for a week.”
The sound my mother made was barely audible. Like a sharp inhale before crying.
Dad sat up taller, clenching his jaw.
“A week,” he repeated.
I nodded.
“Please.”
Mom: “Emma, please, my girl.” Listen to us. Avoid going.”
“I’ve always listened to you. Please let me work this out.”
Dad breathed quietly yet firmly. Go, Emma. Just once, she left you. Think about that before leaving.”
“I’ll callyou,” I muttered.
Mom choked on her tears.
“Yeah, you do that,” dad said.
So I joined her.
Sarah’s home wasn’t. It was mansion. A bloodied mansion. Who knew?
Marble floors. Castle-like chandeliers. A movie-like majestic stairway that curved toward the second floor.
“This could be yours,” she said, emotional. “We can have the life we were meant to have.”
Painful guilt wrenched inside me.
Was this taken by my parents? Was she taken from me?
As promised to my parents, I stayed a week. Just to see.
But the truth found me quickly.
The next day, a woman stopped me outside the mansion.
“You must be Emma,” she replied, observing me.
Answer: “Yes. Who’re you?” I hesitated.
“I’m Evelyn,” she exhaled. “I live next door.”
A break.
“She didn’t tell you? Sarah?”
A chill raced down my spine.
“Tell me what?”
Evelyn’s lips were thin.
That she never defended you. That no one duped her into handing you up. Because she wanted to.”
My stomach twisted, and I felt dread and anxiety again.
That’s false. I answered hastily, “No way.
Evelyn didn’t blink.
“I knew your granddad well. I knew her well. I was present throughout…”
Swallowed hard.
“She told me… not that.”
“What, honey? She said she was young and scared?” Evelyn intervened. That she regretted? That she cried daily for you? She felt a heartache after you left?”
I nodded.
Evelyn grew stern.
Em, she partied. She partied hard. She spent all her money. She considered you a burden when she got pregnant. In an instant, her life changed drastically.”
Something inside me snapped.
Evelyn said, “She never once looked for you.” Not once. Not yet.”
Mansion. Desperation. The time.
“Why now?” I whispered. “Why would she look for me now?”
Evelyn sighed.
“Because your grandfather died last month,” she said visibly. He left everything to you. You’re 18 now, honey. Everything is yours.”
A wave of nausea hit.
No. No, that wasn’t…
“She came back because you’re her ticket, Emma!”
Evelyn lowered her voice.
Honey, if she gets you to remain, she’ll tell you everything. You’ll be her passport to happiness. She want your ticket…”
World blurred. Mansion. Tears. Trembling hands.
It wasn’t love. It was never romantic.
About money.
I was a golden ticket.
With my luggage over my shoulder, I stood beside the big staircase. Sarah leaned on the banister, arms crossed, gaze focused.
“You’re leaving,” she replied bluntly.
“Yeah.”
“You’re making a mistake, Emma,” she laughed.
“No,” I answered. “The mistake was believing you wanted me and not my inheritance.”
“I gave birth to you,” she said.
“And then you let me go.”
“So, you’re going to take the money and go?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Next year, I’ll pay my own college fees. Since my parents have spoiled me my whole life, I’ll spoil them.”
She had no response for the first time.
Turned toward the door.
“You owe me, Emma,” she said.
I paused, holding the handle.
“I owe you nothing,” I said.
I found my folks waiting at home.
I said nothing. I ran into mom’s arms.
She hugged me, stroking my hair.
“You’re home,” she whispered.
She was right. I was home.
Because ultimately, I didn’t need a mansion, a riches, or a mother who only wanted me when it was convenient.
“Welcome back, baby girl,” my dad replied.
Everything I needed was already mine.
Actual family.
