My mom’s voice was sharp. “No. You don’t get to do this. Not today.”
I looked between them. “What is going on?”
He said quietly, “Your mother lied to you. She told me she lost the baby. I believed for years that you were never born.”
The world seemed to tilt.
We stepped away from the crowd to talk. His name was Mark. He told me he and my mom had dated in college. When she got pregnant, he was scared, but he claimed he hadn’t run. Then, a few weeks later, she told him she had miscarried. Mother-in-lawgifts
My mom finally spoke.
“I was scared,” she whispered.
Mark explained that his parents had gone to her behind his back. They were wealthy, powerful, and determined to keep the baby from affecting his future. They pressured her, threatened custody, and tried to scare her into giving me up.
“I told him the baby was gone because I thought it was the only way to protect you,” Mom said. “I disappeared so I could raise you in peace.”
Mark handed me his card.
