As Natalie helped her mother, Sarah, move into a new house, she felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. Everything was packed in boxes, but it was during a quick break that she made an unexpected discovery. While rummaging through an old box, she found a photograph tucked away inside.
It showed a younger Sarah holding a newborn baby, and there was a distinctive birthmark on the baby’s cheek. Natalie’s heart raced. She didn’t have a birthmark. Confused, she realized there was a big secret her mother had kept hidden.
Natalie adjusted her grip on the heavy box as she glanced at Sarah, who was busy sorting through their belongings. Watching her mother, Natalie felt something strange—admiration. For years, she had begged Sarah to leave Ross, warning her about his manipulative ways.
“You deserve better,” she often insisted, but Sarah always went back to him, drawn by shiny gifts or fancy dinners. But now, everything was different. Sarah had finally found the courage to break free from Ross’s grasp.
As Natalie watched her mother push through her fears, she couldn’t help but respect her strength.
“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Sarah said, her voice shaking as she looked around their new, empty house. It felt like a fresh start, but the fear in her eyes was still present.
Natalie paused, watching her mother with concern. “How do you feel about everything, Mom?”
“I’m scared, Natalie,” Sarah admitted, her shoulders drooping. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Natalie took a deep breath, trying to soothe her mother’s worries. “I get it. It’s okay to be scared. But remember, you did the right thing.”
Sarah wrung her hands, her gaze falling to the floor. “What if I go back to him? What if I can’t make it on my own? What if I fail?”
“You won’t, Mom,” Natalie reassured her firmly. “You’ll figure it out. I’m right here with you. You’re not alone in this. You have me, your one and only daughter, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Sarah looked up, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Thank you, sweetie,” she whispered, a small smile breaking through her worry.
They resumed unpacking, trying to keep their minds busy. “Wow, you sure kept a lot of stuff, Mom,” Natalie teased as she lifted another heavy box.
From the other room, Sarah laughed lightly. “Oh, really? I seem to remember a certain college student with a mountain of boxes.”
Natalie chuckled, shaking her head. “Okay, okay, you got me there. But I’m different now. I’ve learned to let go.”
As she sifted through another box, she pulled out dusty old photo albums. Brushing the dust off the top one, she opened it and was instantly flooded with memories. There she was as a toddler, dressed in silly Halloween costumes, playing in the backyard, her gap-toothed smile shining bright.
Each page turned revealed Sarah’s smiling face beside her, but whenever Ross appeared, Natalie quickly flipped past those images, feeling a sour knot form in her stomach.
Once she reached the bottom of the box, something caught her eye: an old envelope hidden among the photos. Her curiosity piqued, she opened it carefully.
Inside was a photograph of a much younger Sarah, looking exhausted but joyful, cradling a newborn in her arms in a hospital room. Natalie squinted at the baby’s face, and her heart sank. That baby had a large birthmark on its cheek.
She flipped the photo over, her heart racing as she saw the date—it matched the day she was born. “But I never had a birthmark,” she whispered to herself, a chill crawling down her spine. Something felt very wrong.
With her heart pounding, Natalie stormed into the bedroom, clutching the photograph tightly. “Mom? Don’t you have something to explain?” she demanded, thrusting the picture in Sarah’s direction.
Sarah’s eyes widened, and she froze, her expression a mix of shock and guilt. “Uh… Natalie… where did you find that?” Her voice trembled.
“In the box with the photo albums,” Natalie replied coldly, her anger simmering.
Sarah swallowed hard, her face paling. “I can explain. It’s… it’s just the baby of a woman who was sharing the hospital room with me.”
Natalie narrowed her eyes. “Really? And you’ve kept it all these years? Why hide it in an envelope?”
“I—I don’t know,” Sarah stammered, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. “It’s nothing, Natalie.”
“Don’t lie to me, Mom,” Natalie shot back, her voice sharp. “You always act this way when you’re lying. What’s going on? Who’s this baby?”
Sarah sighed, her hands trembling as she sat down on the edge of the bed. “It’s complicated, Natalie. It was a long time ago…”
“Then start explaining,” Natalie insisted, crossing her arms.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah began, her voice barely above a whisper. “When your father and I first got married, we didn’t have much. We were struggling to make ends meet.”
Natalie huffed, her impatience rising. “I know that part, Mom.”
“Then, when I got pregnant, we were excited but terrified. We didn’t have money, but we wanted to keep the baby. During the second ultrasound, we found out we were having twins.”
Natalie blinked, the news hitting her like a punch. “Twins?”
Tears filled Sarah’s eyes as she nodded. “Yes. But your father… he didn’t handle it well. He said we couldn’t afford two children. He wanted me to have an abortion, but it was too late.”
Natalie felt her breath catch, but she stayed silent, allowing her mother to continue.
“When you were born,” Sarah whispered, “you had a sister. But then… your father brought two strangers into the hospital room. He said… one of you had to go. I begged him, Natalie, I really did. But he had already made his choice.”
Natalie’s fists clenched. “So, you let him take her?”
“I didn’t have a choice!” Sarah sobbed, her tears flowing freely. “I didn’t want to lose either of you!”
Natalie stood, her heart racing with anger. “So, I have a sister—a twin—and you never told me? You let her go, and you stayed with him after that?”
“I loved him,” Sarah whispered, her voice breaking.
Natalie glared at her, her voice shaking with rage. “You loved him more than your own child! I always thought you weren’t the best mother, but this… this is worse than I ever imagined!” She turned sharply, her mind spinning.
“Natalie, please—” Sarah’s voice trailed off, filled with desperation.
But Natalie didn’t stop. She dashed out of the room, out of the apartment, leaving her mother’s cries echoing behind her.
Back in her own apartment, Natalie’s hands shook as she typed a message to Sarah: Who did you and Dad give her to?
Minutes felt like hours as she waited. When Sarah finally replied with the information, Natalie’s heart hardened. Without thinking twice, she blocked her mother’s number. She was determined to find answers on her own.
After a quick search on social media, she discovered her sister’s name—Amber. She lived in a neighboring state. Without hesitating, Natalie booked a plane ticket and boarded the flight that same afternoon, her mind racing with questions about the sister she never knew.
When she landed, Natalie called a cab, her heart pounding. The driver took her to Amber’s address, stopping in front of a charming two-story house with a beautifully kept yard. As she sat in the backseat, nerves bubbled up inside her, making her feel lightheaded.
“Lady, I can’t sit here all day; some of us have jobs,” the cab driver snapped, breaking her focus.
Natalie shot him an annoyed look and stepped out of the cab, her legs shaky as she approached the fence. She caught her breath when she spotted a woman who looked just like her—except for the birthmark on her cheek—Amber.
Amber was playing with a little boy while a man, probably her husband, laughed beside them. An elderly couple sat nearby, holding hands and smiling gently. When they leaned in for a kiss, Natalie felt a pang in her chest. It reminded her of a love she had never seen between her parents.
“Mom, Dad, come on, show some restraint!” Amber joked, grinning as she watched her parents kiss.
Just then, two older women walked by and spotted Natalie by the fence. “Hi, Amber!” one greeted her warmly, mistaking her for her twin.
Caught off guard, Natalie hesitated. “Oh, uh… hi,” she replied awkwardly, forcing a smile.
The women walked on, unaware of the confusion as Natalie tried to steady her nerves.
Taking a final look at Amber’s happy family, Natalie felt a sharp ache in her heart. They looked so content, like a picture-perfect family from a magazine. Amber was laughing with her little boy, her husband joining in, while her parents sat nearby, relaxed and happy.
It was clear they were close, and Natalie realized she couldn’t disrupt that happiness. With a heavy sigh, she turned away, her heart aching but resolute. She couldn’t be the one to ruin Amber’s peace. As much as it hurt, she knew this was the right choice.
Before leaving, she took a final glance back at the smiling family, silently wishing her sister all the happiness in the world, while wondering what her own life would have been like had things turned out differently.
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