oward the woman and her child. “That girl has her mommy with her. Why don’t I have mine? I’m begging you, Jesus, please let me see my mommy.”
Nancy looked at him, a soft smile tugging at her lips despite the sadness in her eyes. “You never know, Alan. Sometimes God answers our prayers in ways we don’t expect.”
Before Alan could respond, a woman’s voice suddenly sounded from behind them. “I’ll take you, my boy. I’ve come for you.”
Alan and Nancy turned around in surprise. The woman Alan had noticed earlier was now standing directly behind them. She was looking at Alan with tear-filled eyes and trembling lips.
“Alan, my boy! I’ve come for you. I’m here to take you home,” she said, her voice breaking.
Nancy’s face was a mix of surprise and confusion. She held Alan protectively, turning to the woman. “Who are you? And how do you know his name?”
The woman took a step closer, her eyes locked on Alan. “My name is Annette,” she said. “I’m Alan’s mother. I left him at the shelter six years ago. I come here almost every day to see him from a distance. Today…I couldn’t hold back anymore. I’ve come to take him home.”
Nancy looked stunned, glancing between the woman and Alan. “Your son? If you’re truly his mother, you must have proof.”
Annette reached into her purse and pulled out an old photograph. In it, a younger version of herself was holding a newborn, wrapped tightly in a blanket, gazing at him with eyes full of love and sorrow.
“I was 16 when I gave birth to Alan,” Annette explained, tears rolling down her cheeks. “My parents forced me to abandon him, and I had no choice back then.”
Annette’s story came pouring out. She had fallen in love with a boy at a young age, only to be left heartbroken when he abandoned her upon learning of the pregnancy.
Her parents, unwilling to support her decision to keep the child, gave her an ultimatum—abandon the baby or lose everything, including her family and inheritance.
Devastated, Annette left her newborn son on the shelter steps, unable to see any other way. She moved on, finished her education, and eventually married a man named Jason, who knew about her past but assumed she’d left it behind.
“I tried to live my life, but I could never forget him,” Annette said, choking up. “For years, I visited this church, hoping to get a glimpse of him. But today, hearing him cry out, I just couldn’t walk away again. I need him in my life. I want to take him home and make up for the years I’ve lost.”
Nancy, visibly moved by the story, looked down at Alan, who was watching the woman with wide eyes. “This is all up to you, Alan. Do you want to go with her?”
Alan’s face lit up, a glimmer of hope dawning in his eyes. “Mommy?” he whispered tentatively. The woman knelt down, reaching her arms toward him, and he didn’t hesitate. He ran into her embrace, and for the first time in his life, he felt the warmth of his mother’s arms around him.
Determined to make things right, Annette immediately began the process of gaining custody of Alan. She underwent DNA tests, which confirmed their relationship, and after legal formalities, she was finally able to take him home. But her decision came with a heavy cost.
Her parents disowned her, severing all ties and cutting her off financially. Even her husband, Jason, who had initially accepted her past, felt betrayed by her decision. “I married you because I thought you’d moved on from this part of your life,” he said coldly. “I’m willing to support our daughter, but I can’t accept this child as my own.” He filed for divorce soon after.
Despite losing everything, Annette never regretted her choice. She took Alan and her daughter Amy and moved abroad, where she found a job to support them.
Free from her past burdens and surrounded by her children, she finally found peace. She lived each day knowing that she had chosen love over convention, and she couldn’t have been happier. For her, the sacrifices were worth it, as she finally had the family she had always longed for.
