“Alan, my boy! I’ve come for you. I’ve come to take you home,” she cried.

“Who are you? How do you know the kid’s name?” questioned Nancy, holding Alan tight.

“My name is Annette. I’m Alan’s mother. I come here daily to see him and ensure he’s fine.”

“Your son? Do you have any proof?”

Annette took out a photo of her holding a newborn baby in her arms. “I left him at the shelter’s doorstep six years ago.”

“This is unbelievable. This was how Alan looked when I first picked him up from the doorstep on that rainy night. I heard the loud cries of a baby outside on the patio and found him there. Why did you leave your baby? How can you be such a heartless mother?”

Annette began to cry and disclosed the most saddening story of her life.

Six years ago, she was 16 and accidentally fell pregnant with her boyfriend’s child. After she revealed this to him, he dumped her and moved to another state, blocking her from contact. Annette’s parents advised her to terminate the pregnancy, but she couldn’t do it.

“My parents gave me only one choice—to abandon my baby or to forget them and the legacy I would inherit. I was too naive and young to become a mother, so I left my newborn baby at the shelter and moved on.”

Annette added that she finished college and married another man. The girl with her, Amy, was her daughter from this marriage.

“I tried my best, but I could not forget my son. I visit this church often to watch him from a distance. But after hearing him crying for his mother today, I could not hold back any longer. I want to take him home with me.”

Soon, Annette began the legal formalities to gain Alan’s custody back. She took DNA tests with him, revealing they were mother and son by a 99 percent match. Although she successfully took Alan home and restored their relationship, it came with a hefty price.

Annette’s parents turned against her and cut her off from their lives and their will. Even worse, her husband turned against her despite knowing the truth about her shady past.

“I married you because you were honest about your failed relationship with your ex-boyfriend and thought you would never want that kid again. But now, even your parents have disowned you. Look, I’m not willing to father someone else’s child. I’m ready to support my daughter financially, but our marriage is over,” her husband Jason said, immediately filing for a divorce.

Annette and Jason were divorced shortly after. Annette got custody of her daughter and was delighted to have Alan back.

“Never come to us begging for money again” were the last words she heard her parents tell her, and Annette was fine with that. She felt her life was complete, even without her parents’ approval or their money.

She moved abroad with her two wonderful children, got a good job, and only looks forward to living a happy life.