Crushed by betrayal, Nancy could hardly hold back her tears. Patrick had kept secrets, leaving her with a painful reminder of his infidelity. She vowed to find the child’s mother and return her to the woman who had been the other half of Patrick’s hidden life.
Her search led her through Patrick’s belongings and ultimately to his car’s GPS history, where she noticed an unfamiliar address he had visited often. With a mix of dread and determination, Nancy followed the trail to a small house, hoping it would provide some closure.
But when she knocked on the door, it wasn’t the mother who answered—it was Amanda.
“You followed me?” Amanda gasped.
“I came to return this child. I don’t want to keep living with proof of Patrick’s betrayal,” Nancy replied, choking back her emotions.
Amanda’s face softened as she revealed a painful truth: the child’s mother, Emma, had recently died of heartbreak after hearing about Patrick’s accident. Emma, Nancy learned, had once been her close friend and classmate—a friend she had cruelly betrayed.
Nancy’s mind reeled back 20 years, remembering how she’d plotted to break up Patrick and Emma out of jealousy. She’d lied about being pregnant to keep Patrick from being with Emma, and though her scheme had eventually fallen apart, it had been enough to drive a wedge between the two. They’d moved on, Patrick returning to her while Emma had left town, heartbroken. And now, Patrick had found Emma again, leaving a final betrayal as his legacy.
In a moment of clarity, Nancy realized what she had to do. She would raise the child, her own way of making amends.
Over the years, Nancy poured her heart into raising baby Catherine, nurturing her with the love she wished she could have shown Emma and the faith she had once denied Patrick. When Catherine turned sixteen, Nancy shared the entire story, preparing herself for anger or rejection. Instead, Catherine embraced her and said, “You’re the only mom I’ve ever known. You raised me, loved me… nothing can change that.”
Nancy held her daughter, her heart finally at peace. In Catherine’s forgiveness, she felt that Patrick and Emma might have forgiven her too.
