When Jennifer’s fiancé, Chris, postponed their wedding for a last-minute business trip, she was heartbroken. But on his birthday, the day they were supposed to be married, Jennifer spotted him out on the town. Suspecting betrayal, she confronted him and discovered a life-changing secret—one Chris had kept for years.
Six months ago, when Chris got down on one knee in the park where we’d had our first date, I thought nothing in my life could be more perfect.
A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney
We set the date for late fall, on my birthday, no less. It was perfect, as if everything in my life had led up to this moment.
Chris and I were two halves of a whole, and as corny as it sounds, I truly believe it. He was the methodical planner, thriving on spreadsheets and five-year goals, while I was the impulsive dreamer, pursuing creative projects and wandering wherever life took me.
Together we found balance.
A stack of wedding invitations | Source: Midjourney
At least that’s what I thought.
But something happened that made me question everything.
A month before our wedding, Chris’s boss threw us a curveball. Chris was going on a crucial business trip.
The same day as our wedding!
An elderly man sitting at his desk | Source: Midjourney
“It’s only three days, my love,” Chris said, holding my hands. “I know how disappointing this is, but at the same time… this is huge for my career, Jen. There’s a promotion on the line, and it could mean big things for us. We could move into our dream house sooner, we could extend our honeymoon… I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important.”
I was devastated. I mean, who wouldn’t be?
But what could I do? Reluctantly, I agreed to postpone the wedding for a few weeks. I tried to put on a brave face, telling myself it was just a small delay to our trip.
An upset woman sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney
“All right,” I said. “And I’ll make all the calls to the vendors and send messages to all our guests. You focus on work and the trip, and I’ll take care of the rest. Okay?”
“I knew you’d make it,” he smiled.
Then my birthday arrived, the day we should have said “I do.” Instead of getting dressed, spending time on my hair and makeup, I found myself wandering aimlessly around town.
A woman walking down a street | Source: Midjourney
My bridesmaids had wanted to spend the day with me, knowing Chris would be away, but I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t want to see anyone.
“Why are you acting like the wedding is canceled, Jen?” my friend Avery asked. “It’s not. It’s just been postponed.”
“I know that,” I said. “But… I can’t help feeling this way. It’s just… whatever.”
“You can talk to me, Jen,” she said softly.
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“Yes, but I don’t even know what words to use. I feel discouraged, I guess. That’s all. I want to be alone. But I’ll come by tomorrow, I promise.”
I disconnected the phone and left the house in my boots. The crisp autumn air bit my cheeks as I clutched my coffee, trying to ignore the ache gnawing at my chest.
The streets blurred as I walked, my thoughts spinning. I missed Chris. I missed him terribly. And I missed what this day should have been like.
A person holding a cup of coffee | Source: Midjourney
I finally reached the outskirts of town, where a luxury hotel caught my eye. Deciding I needed a drink, something stronger than coffee, I stepped into the warm lobby.
The soft hum of voices and the clinking of glasses greeted me as I walked toward the bar. The bartender had just begun to prepare my drink when something, or someone, caught my attention.
He was there.
Chris.
The exterior of a hotel | Source: Midjourney
In a suit, standing at the reception desk, talking to the concierge.
My heart stopped.
I blinked, sure I was imagining things. Chris was supposed to be 500 km away for his business trip. So what the hell was he doing here?
Before I had time to think, I slapped a bill on the bar, paying for my untouched drink. I sprinted toward the stairs where it had disappeared. My boots clanged against the polished wood as I ran upstairs, my pulse pounding in my ears.
A note on a bar counter | Source: Midjourney
“Chris!” I shouted. “What’s going on? Why are you here? What are you doing here?!”
He turned around, surprised, his face going pale before my eyes.
“Jen! Wait!”
“No!” I said, my voice betraying my feelings. “You lied to me, Chris! You’re supposed to be on a business trip. Are you… are you cheating on me? Is that it?”
A man wearing a suit | Source: Midjourney
His hands went up in defense.
“No, Jen, I swear it’s not that. Just… please come with me. I’ll explain everything.”
I followed him down the hall, my anger simmering beneath the surface. He stopped in front of a door and pulled a keycard out of his pocket.
“What’s in there? Who’s there?” I asked.
A man holding a hotel key card | Source: Midjourney
“Trust me.”
The door opened, revealing a plain hotel room. My stomach lurched as I scanned the space, expecting to see another woman. Instead, the room was empty.
Chris gestured to the chair by the window.
“Sit down,” he said softly.
“Explain yourself, Chris,” I said, suddenly exhausted. “Now. Please.”
The interior of a hotel room | Source: Midjourney
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“Jen, I’ve been working on something for a long time. For years, actually. It’s about your mother.”
I froze.
“My mother?” I repeated. “What?”
He nodded, his voice trembling slightly.
A distraught woman holding her head | Source: Midjourney
“I know you don’t talk about her much, but I know how much it hurt you, my love. Not knowing why she left you in the hospital… not knowing where she went or why.”
I swallowed hard, the familiar ache of abandonment rising in my chest.
“For three years, I tried to find her,” Chris continues. “I hired private investigators, scoured files, and even contacted labs to find potential matches. And… I think I found her.”
A man holding his head | Source: Midjourney
My heart thudded in my chest.
“There’s a woman,” he said. “Her name is Margaret. She’s staying here at the hotel. I didn’t tell you because… well, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to give you false hope in case it wasn’t her. I didn’t even know how to bring it up. But a few weeks ago, we got confirmation that her story matched yours. She was looking for you, Jen. My private investigator told me.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“You did all this for me? And you didn’t tell me?”
A private detective sitting at a desk | Source: Midjourney
He came closer, his voice soft.
“I wanted to protect you. And… I wanted it to be a surprise for your birthday. If it was her, I mean.”
I sank into the nearest chair, my legs too shaky to carry me.
Two hours later, there was a knock at the door. My stomach lurched when Chris got up to answer it.
A woman sitting in an armchair | Source: Midjourney
When the door opened, a woman walked in.
She was tall and graceful, with gray streaks in her black hair. Her piercing green eyes fixed on mine, and I felt as if the air had been knocked out of my lungs.
We looked at each other for a long time, without speaking.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“Jennifer?”
A smiling elderly woman | Source: Midjourney
My name on his lips sounded strange, foreign and yet familiar.
I stood up slowly, my hands shaking.
“Are you… my mother?”
Tears filled her eyes as she nodded.
“I think so. But… we should go to the lab to do a DNA test, just to be sure.”
Close-up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
“No,” I said, my voice firm despite the storm of emotions swirling inside me. “I don’t need a test. I know it’s you.”
It sounded stupid, I know. But I could see it on her face. It was clear that if this woman wasn’t my mother, she was still closely related to me.
She smiled softly, her tears spilling out.
“You look like my mother,” she said. “I’ve been looking for you for so long.”
I blinked, confused.
An elderly woman sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney
“Were you looking for me?”
She nodded, sitting down opposite me.
“It’s a long story,” she said, her voice trembling. “Forty years ago, when I gave birth to you, there was a terrible mistake at the hospital. The nurse mixed up the babies… and I… I left with someone else’s child.”
My head spun.
“What ?”
A newborn baby girl | Source: Midjourney
She shook her head.
“I didn’t learn the truth until years later, when my daughter—well, the one I thought was mine—died in a car accident. A DNA test revealed she wasn’t biologically related to me. I was devastated. And that’s when I started looking for my real daughter. You.”
My throat tightened.
“But… my mother left me at the hospital. That’s what my adoptive mother told me.”
The exterior of a hospital | Source: Midjourney
His face crumpled.
“I know. I think the woman who was supposed to take you home ran away when she realized the mistake. I’m so sorry, darling. You were abandoned because of what happened, and it’s all my fault. I passed out after giving birth to you, and I didn’t know any better when I came to.”
Tears streamed down my face as I tried to take it all in.
Chris put his arm around me, his touch bringing me back to reality.
A woman in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
“You’re not alone anymore,” he whispered.
Looking at the woman in front of me, my mother, I felt a strange mixture of pain and hope. After years of questioning, I finally had answers. And on my birthday, of all days.
“This is the best gift I could have asked for,” I said quietly.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
Two weeks later, we finally celebrated our wedding. My mother sat in the front row with tears in her eyes as Chris and I said “I do.”
And for the first time in my life, I felt whole.
A smiling bride | Source: Midjourney
If you liked this story, here’s another one for you:
When Jake insists on cooking Thanksgiving turkey for the first time, Jen is skeptical but encouraging until the result is a culinary disaster no one at the table can ignore. But the real shock comes when she discovers the recipe isn’t Jake’s. As tensions simmer and doubts creep in, she’s forced to confront the cracks in their marriage. This Thanksgiving, the turkey isn’t the only thing leaving a bad taste.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. 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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