When Jennifer’s fiancé Chris postpones their wedding because of a last-minute business trip, her heart is broken. But on her birthday, the day they were due to get married, she sees him in town. Suspecting betrayal, she confronts him, only to discover a secret he has kept for years that will change her life.
Six months ago, when Chris got down on one knee in the park where we had our first date, I thought there was nothing more perfect in my life.
We set the date for late fall, on my birthday no less. It felt right, like everything in my life had been leading up to that moment.
Chris and I were two halves of a whole, and as cheesy as it sounds, I mean 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.
Or so I thought.
But then something happened that made me question everything.
A month before our wedding, Chris’ boss threw a huge curveball at us. My fiancé had to attend a crucial business trip.
On the day of our wedding.
“It’s only three days, love,” Chris said, taking my hands. ”I know how disappointing it is, but at the same time… this is huge for my career, Jen. There’s a promotion at stake, and it could mean great things for us. We could move into our dream house sooner, extend our honeymoon… I wouldn’t ask 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 in our trip.
“Okay,” I said. ”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 do the rest. Okay?“
“I knew you’d understand,” she smiled.
Then came my birthday, the day we should have said “I do.” Instead of getting dressed, spending time on my hair and makeup to perfection, I found myself wandering aimlessly around the city.
My bridesmaids had wanted to spend the day with me, knowing that 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 has been canceled, Jen?” my friend Avery asked. ”It’s not. It’s just been postponed.”
“I know,“ I said. ‘But… I can’t help feeling this way. It just… doesn’t matter.’
“You can talk to me, Jen,” she said gently.
“Yeah, but I don’t even know what to say. I feel down, I guess. That’s all. I want to be alone. But I’ll come over tomorrow, I promise.”
I ended the call and left the house, boots on. The crisp autumn air bit my cheeks as I clutched my coffee, trying to ignore the pain that was eating away at my chest.
The streets blurred as I walked and my thoughts raced. I missed Chris. I missed him so much. And I missed what the day should have been.
In the end, I ended up on the outskirts of the city, where my attention was drawn to a luxurious boutique hotel. I decided I needed a drink, something stronger than coffee, and I entered the warm lobby.
The soft murmur of voices and the clinking of glasses greeted me as I made my way to the bar. The waiter had just started to prepare my drink when something, or someone, caught my attention.
It was him.
Chris.
In a suit, standing by the reception desk, talking to the manager.
My heart skipped a beat.
I blinked, sure I was imagining it. Chris was supposed to be 800 km away on a business trip. What the hell was he doing here?
Before I could think, I left a note on the bar and paid for the drink I hadn’t touched. I stormed towards the staircase he had disappeared down. My boots echoed against the polished wood as I ran up, my pulse pounding in my ears.
“Chris!” I shouted. ”What’s going on? What are you doing here? What are you doing here?”
He turned, startled, and his face paled before my eyes.
“Jen! Wait!”
“No!” I said, my voice betraying my feelings. ”You lied to me, Chris! You were supposed to be on a business trip. Are you… are you cheating on me? Is that it?”
He raised his hands in defense.
“No, Jen, I swear it’s not like that. Just… please come with me. I’ll explain everything.”
I followed him down the corridor, anger simmering just below the surface. He stopped at a door and took a card out of his pocket.
“What’s in there? Who’s in there?” I asked him.
“Trust me.”
The door opened, revealing a simple hotel room. My stomach churned as I scanned the space, expecting to see another woman. But it was empty.
Chris pointed to the armchair by the window.
“Sit down,“ he said quietly.
“Explain yourself, Chris,” I said, suddenly exhausted. “Now, please.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“Jen, I’ve been working on something for a long time. Actually, for years. It’s about your mother.”
I froze.
“My mother?” I repeated. ”What?”
He nodded, his voice slightly shaky.
“I know you don’t talk about her much, but I know how much it’s hurt you, love. Not knowing why she left you in the hospital… not knowing where she went or why.
I swallowed hard, the familiar pain of abandonment rising in my chest.
“I’ve been trying to find her for three years,” Chris continued. ”I hired private investigators, I checked records, I even contacted laboratories to track down possible matches. And… I think I’ve found her.”
My heart pounded 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 get your hopes up in case it wasn’t her. I didn’t even know how to bring it up. But a few weeks ago we confirmed that her story matches yours. She’s been looking for you, Jen. My private investigator told me.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“You’ve been doing all this for me? And you didn’t tell me?”
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 hold me up.
Two hours later, there was a knock at the door. My stomach churned as Chris got up to answer it.
When the door opened, a woman came in.
She was tall and elegant, with gray strands in her dark hair. Her piercing green eyes fixed on mine, and I felt as if the air had been sucked out of my lungs.
We stared at each other for a long time, without speaking.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“Jennifer?”
My name on her lips sounded strange, strange but familiar.
I got up slowly, my hands trembling.
“Are you… my mother?”
Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded.
“I think so. But… we should go to the lab and have a DNA test, just to be sure.”
“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 all over her face. It was clear that, if that woman wasn’t my mother, she was still closely related to me.
She smiled softly, with tears spilling down her face.
“You look so much like my mother,” she said. ”I’ve been looking for you for so long.”
I blinked, confused.
“You’ve been looking for me?”
She nodded, sitting down in front of 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 confused the babies… and I… I came out with someone else’s child.”
My head was spinning.
“What?”
She shook her head.
“I didn’t find out the truth until years later, when my daughter, well, the daughter I thought was mine, died in a car accident. A DNA test revealed that she wasn’t biologically related to me. I was devastated. And that’s when I started looking for my real daughter. You.”
A lump formed in my throat.
“But… my mother left me at the hospital. That’s what my adoptive mother told me.”
Her face crumpled.
“I know. I think the woman who was supposed to take you home ran away when she realized her mistake. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. You were abandoned because of what happened, and it’s all my fault. I fainted after giving birth to you, I didn’t know what to do when I came to.”
Tears streamed down my face as I tried to process it all.
Chris put his arm around me and his touch calmed me.
“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 questions, I finally had answers. And on my birthday, no less.
“It’s the best gift I could have asked for,” I said softly.
Two weeks later we finally had our wedding. My mother was sitting in the front row, tears glistening in her eyes as Chris and I said ”I do.”
And for the first time in my life, I felt complete.