When Max notices his son acting strangely, he tries to figure out why. While questioning the little boy, Max goes through a series of emotions before finally discovering that the truth lies with his wife and a secret from his past.
As the breadwinner of my family, I work a lot. So when I’m at home, I notice the slightest changes. And lately, something wasn’t right with my eight-year-old son, Charlie. He had started hiding his toys and wearing two shirts at a time.
Close-up of a child | Source: Midjourney
It was very unusual behavior for him. It wasn’t like Charlie at all.
“Son?” I asked one afternoon as I was getting ready for Charlie’s story time. Instead of crawling into bed like he usually did, waiting for me to pick a story, Charlie was shoving his action figures under the bed.
“Why do you hide your toys?”
Action figures in a box | Source: Midjourney
My son’s big blue eyes widened in fear.
“Dad,” he said nervously. “Because he’s going to come and take them all.”
“Who, honey? Who’s going to take all your toys?”
A man with his hands on his head | Source: Midjourney
“My brother! The baby!”
My stomach turned. I had no idea what my son was saying. It was possible that Serena was pregnant; we weren’t on any kind of birth control because we wanted another baby.
But I didn’t think he would hide it from me.
A man lost in his thoughts | Source: Midjourney
“You don’t have a brother,” I said simply, climbing into bed with him.
“Yes, I have one!” he exclaimed excitedly. “But it’s still small. I saw the photo in Mom’s bag.”
I had a lot of questions, but none of them were for Charlie. It was a discussion between Serena and me. Now I was going to read Charlie a story until he fell asleep.
A sleeping child | Source: Midjourney
Finally, my son’s eyelids began to droop and shortly after he fell asleep.
I waited a few minutes before sneaking out into the hallway, where Serena had left her bag.
“I have to keep it here, Max,” she said, laughing. “Or you know I’ll end up leaving something behind. I’m absent-minded like that.”
A bag on a table | Source: Midjourney
I rummaged through my wife’s purse, and there it was. A crystal-clear ultrasound of a baby in my wife’s womb.
Why didn’t he tell me? I thought. Unless he was planning a little surprise for me.
Serena had done it when she found out we were pregnant with Charlie. She planned it all with a cupcake that revealed we were pregnant.
A colorful cake on a plate | Source: Midjourney
But it was too late for a surprise. I knew about the pregnancy now and I wanted us to be on the same page before I got excited.
With the ultrasound in hand, I went to find Serena, who was relaxing with a book.
“Honey,” I started, my voice shaking for some reason. “Are you pregnant? Why didn’t you tell me? How far along are we?”
Hands holding an ultrasound image | Source: Unsplash
My wife’s reaction set off alarm bells. I had never seen the blood drain from someone’s face so quickly.
“Max,” she said slowly, though her eyes betrayed her as they filled with panic. “I’m not pregnant.”
“What? So what is this?” I asked, holding up the ultrasound. “Who is it?”
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
“It’s… that photo. It’s me, but from a long time ago,” he said.
My mind raced, alarm bells ringing louder with every thought.
“What do you mean, Serena?” I asked.
Close-up of a man | Source: Midjourney
My wife’s eyes filled with tears, and I knew a big confession was coming. Her soft features changed before my eyes; there was a sense of pain etched on her face.
“Max,” she began. “I had a son when I was in high school. I gave birth to him because I couldn’t imagine anything else, and hours after he was born, I gave him up for adoption. I’ve never told anyone outside my family because I was embarrassed to have a baby so young. That was sixteen years ago, but sometimes I still get sad and miss him. His birthday is this week, and he should be sixteen now.”
A smiling teenager | Source: Midjourney
I was absolutely stunned.
“Why didn’t you tell me, Serena?” I asked quietly. “I’m not someone you should be ashamed to tell these things to. Why didn’t you let me help you carry this burden?”
Sobbing, she answered softly, her voice a mere whisper.
A woman crying | Source: Midjourney
“Because I was afraid you’d see me differently. I thought everyone would.”
I pulled my wife in for a hug.
“You should never have gone through this alone. We need to talk to Charlie about this. He saw the ultrasound and came to his own conclusion. He’s confused and scared in his own way.”
A couple sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney
Serena’s eyes widened and she nodded.
“I didn’t know that!” he exclaimed. “But yes, we have to explain it to him.”
The next morning, we sat down with Charlie and a plate full of pancakes, explaining everything to him as gently as possible. He was only eight years old, and there were things he just wouldn’t understand.
“So, no baby’s coming for my toys?” she asked, hugging Serena.
A smiling child | Source: Midjourney
“No,” I replied. “But if that changes, we’ll tell you!”
But as the days went by, I just wanted to give Serena some peace.
“Let’s contact the adoption agency,” I suggested as we lay in bed one night. “You don’t have to do anything with the information we get. But at least you’ll have it.”
A couple lying in bed | Source: Midjourney
She nodded against my chest.
It wasn’t easy, but with proof that Serena had given birth and signed the adoption papers, we slowly began to gain more information.
Finally, after months of bureaucratic procedures and challenges, we found him. Serena’s firstborn.
A woman signing a document | Source: Midjourney
“His name is Michael,” she told me after hanging up the call with a social worker at the agency. “He has a loving family who adopted him two days after he was born. The agency has been in touch with his adoptive parents to let them know that I’m interested in meeting him. But that will only happen if he wants to meet me.”
I smiled at my wife and the way she was handling the situation. I just hoped she didn’t get her hopes up too much.
Close-up of a smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
But, to our relief, Michael’s family was willing.
“They said it would be okay to meet in a neutral location,” my wife said, walking into my home office while I was working one afternoon.
“That’s great!” I exclaimed, grateful that we could at least meet up with Michael.
A man working in his home office | Source: Midjourney
“They suggested the park because the family has a pair of twins Charlie’s age, so the kids can play while the rest of us talk.”
I nodded.
“Yes, that sounds perfect to me,” I said, sitting back down in my chair.
Smiling children | Source: Midjourney
When Michael saw Serena, there was an instant connection. She looked so much like her. They shared the same eyes and the same nose, even the way they laughed.
I watched my wife fall in love with her son, and he fell in love with her too.
“I’m so sorry, Michael,” Serena said after the children settled into the playground. “I didn’t want to give you up, but it was the best thing I could do for you at the time.”
A playground in a park | Source: Midjourney
Michael’s voice was soft but firm.
“I’m happy,” she said. “My parents are great, and they were open and honest about the adoption from the beginning. They didn’t want to hide me from the world, especially if there was a chance you might come looking for me. My mother told me you were very young and it would have been very difficult for you.”
A smiling baby | Source: Midjourney
“I’ve always wondered about you,” Serena said. “But I didn’t tell Max about you until recently, so I’ve always had to carry it alone.”
Michael met up with his brother to push him on the swings, and Serena and I talked to Michael’s adoptive parents.
They were wonderful people and we were grateful for the way they raised him.
A smiling elderly couple | Source: Midjourney
Months have passed and our families have become closer. We often meet on Sunday afternoons and eat together, which allows the brothers to get to know each other.
Read also: My stepdaughter’s Father’s Day gift left me in shock
We have found a balance that has allowed Michael to have both his adoptive family and us in his life. Serena’s burden of guilt and shame has disappeared, replaced by the joy and satisfaction of seeing her two children together.
A family eating together | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done in Max’s place?
If you liked this story, here’s another one for you.
I came home from a trip and found the house trashed by my husband and children – It was the last straw
When Jo returns from a business trip, she walks into a messy, chaotic house. Her husband, Brandon, greets her with a comment that leaves her with no choice but to run to her parents’ house for refuge. When she returns, things seem to be going better. But will Brandon learn his lesson and do his part in his marriage?
I walked through the door, the clink of my suitcase wheels echoing off the hallway walls, and was absolutely stunned.
It looked like a tornado had ripped through our living room.
There were toys scattered on the floor, dishes piled in the sink, and what? A blackened banana on the couch?
A blackened banana on a sofa | Source: Midjourney
My heart sank. It was the last thing I needed after an exhausting week of meetings across the state.
I just wanted to go home to my husband, my kids, and my own bed. Go back to a clean home.
A clean living room | Source: Pexels
When I left on my trip, I had left explicit instructions with my husband, Brandon.
I had even meal prepped for the entire week, organizing lunches and dinners. I wanted to make everything as easy as possible for my husband.
This work is inspired by real people and events, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher do not guarantee the accuracy of events or the depiction of characters, and are not responsible for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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