No one ever thinks that something bad will happen to them, right? I certainly didn’t think I would end up a single mother, but that was exactly what happened.
My ex disappeared the moment he found out I was pregnant. He told me he wasn’t ready to be a father and had no intention of taking responsibility.
As if I was ready to become a mother at twenty-three. But life is unpredictable, and you never know what awaits you around the corner.
Still, my son turned my world upside down in the best possible way and made me the happiest person on the planet.
Mark was only a year and a half old when things started to get difficult. Because I couldn’t work full-time, since I had to be with him, money was already tight.
Then layoffs began at work, and I was terrified of being next, so I worked twice as hard.
But Mark decided I didn’t need a job and got sick, so I had to take time off. Management didn’t say anything to me directly, but I saw their disapproving glances.
That day, Mark and I were coming home from the doctor’s office. The weather was nice, so I decided to take a walk with him.
My little rascal tossed his toy out of the stroller, and I didn’t notice right away.
I stopped and stepped back to pick it up, it was just a few seconds, but when I turned around, an older woman was already standing by Mark’s stroller, cooing at him. I rushed over, alarmed.
“What do you want from my child?” I demanded.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. This must look strange,” the woman replied. She was dressed… well, I don’t even know how to describe it—expensive?
“You can’t just walk up to someone else’s child,” I retorted.
“You’re right. I apologize,” she murmured. “My name is Eleanor. You have a lovely son,” she added.
“Thank you, but I’m still uncomfortable,” I responded firmly.
“What’s your name?” Eleanor inquired.
“Sarah,” I answered hesitantly.
“Wonderful, Sarah. I have a proposal for you. Listen—how would you feel about going to my grandson and telling him that this child is his?” she asked.
I let out a short laugh, thinking it was a joke. But her face remained completely serious. “Oh… you’re not joking?”
“Not at all. I’m absolutely serious. And I’m willing to pay you for it,” Eleanor stated, pulling a small notepad out of her miniature purse. She scribbled something down, tore the paper, and handed it to me.
The number on that piece of paper was a sum I had never seen in my life — seventy thousand dollars. I felt ashamed even thinking about it, let alone saying it out loud.
“I… I… this is wrong… Why?” I stammered.
“My grandson is about to inherit our company, and he has no idea what responsibility even means. His parents spoiled him too much. I decided it was time he learned something,” Eleanor explained.
“But wouldn’t he realize I’m lying?” I questioned.
“Sweetheart, he has had so many women he can no longer remember their faces. Everything will be fine,” Eleanor assured me.
“No, I’m sorry, but this is wrong,” I replied.
Eleanor reached into her bag again and slipped a business card into my hand. “Think about it,” she said. “I believe you need the money. Happy women don’t carry such big bags,” she added, nodding toward mine. Then she simply turned and walked away as if the whole world was meant to follow her pace.
A few days had passed since that strange encounter, but I still couldn’t get Eleanor out of my head.
She was right about one thing—I needed the money. But I wasn’t sure I could bring myself to deceive someone like that.
Mark had finally recovered, and I was ready to go back to work. But just as I was about to leave the house, I received a call from our HR manager.
“Hi Sarah, you know we’re having layoffs, right?” she asked, and I instantly understood where this was going.
“Yes,” I replied quietly, sinking onto the hallway bench.
“We need reliable employees right now, and because you have a child, you can’t devote enough attention to your job,” she stated.
“But my son was just sick. I had no choice. I work hard, and—”
She cut me off. “I understand, but work is work. You can come by tomorrow to pick up your final paycheck,” she concluded and hung up.
I exhaled wearily and covered my face with my hands. I couldn’t just find another job easily. Who would want to hire a single mother?
It seemed I had no other choice. I opened my bag and reached for Eleanor’s business card. I dialed her number quickly, and she answered almost immediately.
“Eleanor, hi. It’s Sarah. I’m ready to accept your offer,” I said.
“How wonderful! I’ll send you the address. Don’t forget to bring your son,” Eleanor responded cheerfully.
Luckily, I had not yet taken Mark to daycare. I buckled him into the car, and we drove to the address Eleanor had sent me.
We pulled up in front of a sleek, beautiful house that I couldn’t even begin to imagine the cost of. Eleanor was already waiting in her car. I unbuckled Mark from his seat and walked over to her just as she stepped out of the car.
“So, what now?” I asked.
“I’ll give you an advance so you don’t think I’m trying to trick you, and then we’ll go see my grandson,” Eleanor explained.
“Right now?” I asked in surprise.
“Of course. This is his house,” she replied.
“What if he asks for a DNA test?” I asked.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already taken care of that,” she said and handed me a printed DNA test showing a 99.9% match.
“But how?” I questioned.
“When you have money, you rarely run into real problems,” Eleanor answered calmly. She pulled a thick envelope from her purse and dropped it into mine. “Your advance. Now let’s go.”
We walked into the house. Inside, it was stunning, but a bit messy—clearly a bachelor’s place. He stood by the kitchen island, sipping coffee, looking like he had just woken up.
“David, I have news for you,” Eleanor announced. She took Mark from my arms and walked up to what must have been David. “This is your son.”
David choked on his coffee and coughed. “Very funny, Grandma,” he muttered.
“I’m not joking. This woman reached out to me, said she’s raising your child. I didn’t believe her—thought she wanted money—until I got a DNA test,” Eleanor said and handed him the results.
David stared at the paper in shock, still trying to process what he was seeing. “How is this even possible?” he murmured, then turned to me. “Name your price. I’ll pay whatever you want,” he stated.
“I…” I had no idea what to say, but I caught Eleanor’s stern look from behind his back. “I don’t want money. I want my son to have a father,” I replied and saw Eleanor nod approvingly.
“This… no. I can’t be a father. I still act like a kid myself sometimes,” David protested.
“Well, then, it’s time you grow up,” Eleanor said and placed Mark into David’s arms. He held him awkwardly, arms outstretched like someone who had never touched a child before.
But then Mark smiled at him—odd, because he usually didn’t like strangers—and I saw a small smile form on David’s face.
“So, you’re my son, huh?” David whispered and cradled Mark more naturally. Mark nestled against him immediately, and I smiled.
That trick worked on everyone, even people who didn’t like kids. Somehow, my little one always knew what to do.
“I have to admit, you’re kind of adorable,” David murmured.
And that was how our performance began—me pretending that Mark was David’s son.
At first, David had no clue what to do with a child, and honestly, I was scared to even let him hold Mark.
But things started to change. He began feeding him with a spoon, playing games, even changing his diapers.
David was transforming before my eyes, and I could see how he was starting to bond with Mark. What made it worse was that Mark was bonding with him too.
But it wasn’t just Mark. I started feeling something I shouldn’t have. I already regretted agreeing to all of this.
David turned out to be a wonderful man, someone who had simply been hiding behind a childish mask. He genuinely cared about Mark and was truly trying to become a good father.
One evening, David suggested that Mark and I stay over. We would have our own room, of course. I agreed.
But that night, no matter how much I tossed and turned, I just couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to wake Mark, so I went downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of warm milk.
As I stepped into the kitchen and flicked on the light, I jumped—David was sitting there in the dark.
“Oh my God! Why are you sitting in the dark?” I exclaimed.
“I didn’t want to wake the little guy,” David replied softly.
“That’s not how it works. He’s on a different floor. He’s not going to know the light’s on down here,” I pointed out.
“All of this is still new to me,” David admitted. “You can’t sleep either?”
I nodded. “I want some milk. Is that okay?” I asked.
“Of course. I told you, help yourself to anything,” David responded with a smile.
I opened the fridge and pulled out the milk. “Do you want some?” I asked.
David shook his head. I poured myself a glass and placed it in the microwave.
“I never apologized for not remembering you,” David began. “I lived a wild lifestyle back then.”
“It’s okay,” I murmured. I felt guilty hearing him apologize, especially since he had no reason to remember me—he had never known me.
“Still… it feels wrong to forget such a wonderful woman like you,” he added, and I let out a small laugh.
“Well, you definitely know how to flatter women,” I teased.
“That I do,” he chuckled. “But I mean it.”
I smiled, and David stood up and walked over to me. “I don’t know what spell you’re casting, but I can’t stop thinking about you,” he murmured, leaning closer.
I leaned in too, just as the microwave beeped.
“I should… get the milk…” I whispered, breathless.
“I don’t care,” David said and kissed me—the kind of kiss I had never experienced before.
The next morning, I woke up in David’s bed. I quickly got dressed and went to check on Mark.
He was still asleep. I tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen and nearly jumped again—Eleanor was sitting at the table. Apparently, lurking silently in the kitchen was a family trait.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Eleanor said calmly.
“It’s fine,” I muttered, stepping over to pour myself a glass of water.
“I see our little plan worked even better than I expected,” she observed, scanning me with her eyes.
I suddenly wanted to wrap myself in a blanket. “David really believed Mark was his son. But now, he cares about both of you,” she added.
“You can stop pretending. You two are doing great together. David is a better man when he’s with you,” Eleanor told me. “So just keep living like that.”
“In a lie? I can’t do that,” I said firmly.
“What does all this mean?!” David’s voice boomed from behind us.
“Oh no,” Eleanor gasped.
“You hired some random woman to pretend her kid is mine?!” David shouted at Eleanor.
“But it worked! You’re better for it!” she insisted.
“Are you kidding me?!” David yelled. “What part of this was ever real?!” he demanded, turning to me.
“Mark’s not your son. We have never met before,” I admitted quietly.
“I can’t believe this!” David roared.
“I should go,” I said softly.
“Yeah, you should!” he barked.
I gathered Mark in my arms, and we left David’s house. Mark cried the entire way home—and so did I.
I couldn’t believe I had allowed myself to get into such a situation. Worse, I had let Mark be part of it too.
The rest of the day passed in a blur—me just going through the motions, thinking about what an awful person I was.
But that evening, it hit me like a jolt of electricity. I couldn’t just let David go. I owed him at least an apology.
I picked up Mark and opened the front door—and froze. David was standing there.
“I was just about to come find you,” I began. “Listen, I’m really sorry. There’s no excuse for what I did, but during the time we spent together, everything changed and—”
David raised a hand to stop me. “You and my grandmother did something awful. But maybe it was meant to happen. Look, Sarah… I’m still furious with you, but when you and Mark left, I realized I can’t lose you both. I don’t want to.”
“But Mark is still not your son,” I reminded him.
“I don’t care about blood. I want to give this a chance. I want to give us a chance…” I gently set Mark down on the floor. David continued speaking. “Of course, that is only if that night—and your feelings—weren’t just part of the act.”
I didn’t let him finish. I pulled him toward me and kissed him. David kissed me back like it was the only thing that mattered in the world.
