Afraid to raise him due to her past, 18-year-old Rosaline leaves her newborn son at the hospital. But she returns three years later to take him back. Will fate favor Rosaline this time, or is it too late for her to make amends?
Nancy couldn't wait for her shift to end. Working as a nurse enabled her to help people, but it was also tiresome.
Sitting behind her desk, she had almost drifted off to sleep when a loud bang startled her.
Nancy flinched, sprang to her feet, and quickly looked at the hospital's entrance, where a dark figure stood.
The weather outside was terrible that night. Rain came down in thick curtains, and thunder rumbled in the sky.
Nancy approached the entrance, and finally, the figure became visible—a young woman, drenched from head to toe and pregnant.
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"Oh god, are you OK?" Nancy rushed forward to help her.
"My-my water broke…" the woman replied between deep breaths. "I'm Rosaline."
"OK, I need you to relax, Rosaline," Nancy replied as she escorted Rosaline to a room. She kept talking to her while making arrangements for the delivery and learned the pregnant girl was only 18.
"Young mommy, huh?" she smiled. "Don't worry; we got you! Push!"
The room was filled with Rosaline's screams and heavy breathing for the next few moments, and then a loud crying noise echoed in the space. Rosaline gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.
"Steven…That's what I'll call him," Rosaline whispered as she hugged her baby for the first time.
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"After his father?" Nancy asked cheerfully.
"No, not at all. It's in honor of my friend," Rosaline replied.
"Alright, Mommy and baby Steven, rest now," Nancy said. "I'll go finish the paperwork, and if you need anything, just press the call button, and I'll come over, OK?"
Nancy left the room, leaving the mother and son alone.
The next morning, she went to check on them, only to gasp in shock. The baby's cot was in place, but Rosaline and her things were gone.
Nancy carefully approached the cot and noticed an envelope near the sleeping baby. Opening the envelope, she found a shiny piece of diamond and a letter.
"Nancy, please take care of Steven. I was compelled to leave him, but I will come back. I've left the diamond as security. When I return, I will give you $100,000 and take Steven back. Don't involve the police or seek the truth. Just take care of my son. Please."
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Nancy looked at Steven, who was peacefully sleeping in the cot, and recalled Rosaline's offer. She informed the hospital authorities that he was abandoned, but she knew she couldn't let him become a part of the foster system or be sent to a new home.
So Rosaline told CPS that she would look after him, and after a lot of convincing and paperwork, she secured custody of the child. She never mentioned the diamond or the money Rosaline promised to anyone.
But motherhood wasn't easy for Nancy. The long, sleepless nights and changing poopy diapers were initial challenges. Then came the hurdle of juggling work and parenting. Sometimes, she would cry and curse herself for accepting the responsibility of raising a child.
But whenever she looked at Steven, Nancy couldn't convince herself to part from the lovely boy. She loved having him around and playing with him, and as time went on, she couldn't imagine a life without him. When a year passed, and Rosaline didn't return, Nancy was at ease. She didn't have to worry about letting Steven go.
Two more years flew by, and by then, Nancy loved Steven as her own. The thought that he was adopted never occurred to her.
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On Steven's third birthday, she arranged a small party for him. She hung streamers and balloons across the living room and baked his favorite chocolate cake.
As she took the cake out of the oven, she suddenly heard a knock on the door.
"Coming!" she called out and opened the door, only to turn pale. Nancy immediately recognized the woman standing at her doorstep.
"Rosaline?" she blurted.
"Hi, Nancy," Rosaline said. "I'm sorry I didn't keep my word. I was supposed to return in a year, but—"
"What are you doing here?" Nancy fumed.
"Steven…my son…I'm here for him. Here," She lifted her bag. "$300,000. I promised $100,000 for a year, but it's been three years, so here's your $300,000."
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"I don't want any money, Rosaline," Nancy snapped. "You can't just abandon a child and then come back three years later as if nothing has happened."
"Look, I...I understand. And I'm truly sorry. Please hear me out. I can explain why It took me so long..." Rosaline said and recounted her past.
Four years ago…
Rosaline was tired of the morning sickness and constant fatigue. At first, she had dismissed it as something casual. But a haunting thought occurred to her, and she bought a pregnancy test kit.
Closing the door behind her, as she checked the pregnancy results, Rosaline hoped it would be negative. Her heart sank when the kit showed two lines. Rosaline was only 17 and pregnant.
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What terrified her was the fact that this pregnancy was the result of a one-night stand with a man she didn't even remember. She had been too drunk during the sleepover to remember his face. Plus, her father had forbidden her from attending, and she didn't listen to him.
Rosaline wanted to tell herself it was all a bad dream. But it wasn't. So, mustering some courage, she decided to come clean to her parents.
Her mother's eyes welled up, and she quickly embraced her. "It's OK, honey…" she whispered, and Rosaline's worried heart was relieved.
It was her father's gaze that broke Rosaline's heart. "Pack your things and get out of my house! You're a disgrace to this family, and I don't want to see you."
"Dad…" she tried to plead with him. "I...I was—"
"I don't want to hear a word from you!" he yelled. "By morning, you should be gone from here!"
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Rosaline was shattered beyond words. Her father had given her until the next morning, but she didn't want to hurt him anymore. That night, she packed her belongings and left the house.
With the little money she had, she checked into a motel for the night. The next morning, she set out to find work. She knew nobody would offer her a good job with decent pay because she didn't have a degree.
Rosaline worked odd jobs to support herself for a while. But with the money she made, she could only afford three meals a day and a dingy, studio apartment.
Rosaline knew she had to find better opportunities to improve her situation, especially with her baby on the way. And the opportunity presented itself three months later.
She was walking past an antique shop when a sign caught her eye. "Need an employee," it read.
Curiosity piqued, and she walked in.
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Behind the counter stood a tall man with kind eyes and a gentle demeanor. He introduced himself as Steven. Seeing Rosaline's keen interest in the antiques, he struck up a conversation with her.
"You seem interested in these," he remarked, pointing to the artifacts.
Rosaline nodded. "I've always found history fascinating."
"Well, I'm actually looking for someone to help around the shop. It's a decent pay. Would you be interested?" Steven asked.
"Yes, sure!" Rosaline chirped.
"Great then! You can start tomorrow!"
Steven was a wonderful man, and he helped her whenever she was stuck. As time went on, she became better at her job.
But Rosaline was still worried. She only made a decent income from working under Steven. What she was earning wasn't enough for her and her baby. While closing the store one evening, she was lost in such thoughts when the bell on the entrance chimed.
"Sorry, we're closed…" she started, but her voice trailed off as she looked up at the entrance.
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"Hands up! Don't scream, and don't move!" A masked man stood at the entrance, aiming his gun at her. Holding her at gunpoint, he moved across the store, rapidly pocketing pricey artifacts. For a moment, she decided to press the store's alarm button discreetly positioned beneath the counter but then decided against it.
"Listen, I won't call the cops. Just… just go!" she told him.
He cast a sideways glance at her and continued to grab things. Once he left, Rosaline heaved a sigh of relief and started collecting the valuables the thief had missed. She stashed the loot in a hidden location nearby. Then she rushed to the store and pressed the alarm button.
Rosaline didn't want to steal from Steven, but she was only thinking about her unborn child then. A couple of minutes later, police cars surrounded Steven's store. She told the cops that she didn't have the chance to press the button earlier because she was held at gunpoint. Then, seizing the right moment, she retrieved the loot the next day and took it home.
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Rosaline felt a pang of guilt, noticing the devastated look on Steven's face as he made a list of items stolen from him. The missing artifacts were worth $800,000. But she consoled herself that she was doing everything for her child's sake.
Several weeks passed. Rosaline was working at the store one day when Steven entered, looking all cheerful.
"What's the good news, Steven?" she asked, smiling. "You seem to be in a good mood!"
"Ah, we have to celebrate, Rosaline!" Steven said. "The police nabbed that robber. Apparently, he'd been involved in several other thefts around town. They're planning to search his place soon. Hopefully, they'll recover our stolen items, and if not, the insurance will compensate us!"
Rosaline's heart sank. She was nine months pregnant. And just like the thief, she, too, was in hot water because the things she had stolen would never be found at the robber's place. The cops would suspect her. Rosaline had done enough wrong for her child's sake. She couldn't take the risk of putting her baby's life in danger, so she made the hard choice of abandoning her baby.
Present-day…
"I had come to realize I would not be able to raise my child in those circumstances, so I left him. But I've missed him all these years. What I did…it was for him!" she told Nancy.
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"The ends don't justify the means," Nancy replied sharply. "And over the past few years, Steven has become my heartbeat, my son in every way that counts. I can't and won't let him go. Why are you no longer worried about your past? Of getting caught?"
"I removed every trace of it in the last three years," Rosaline revealed. "And Steven is my child, Nancy. My blood. Do you really think you can stand between us?"
"It's not just about blood. It's about time and care, too. Now, please leave my house. I'm not letting you take him away."
Rosaline was bent on getting Steven back. She warned Nancy that she would see her in court and left the house.
Nancy couldn't even bear the thought of letting Steven go and recalled the diamond Rosaline had given her. She had kept the diamond safe all these years.
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Nancy drove to the police station, submitted the diamond as proof of Rosaline's theft, and filed a complaint against her, assuring the cops she would testify as a witness to the robbery.
"By tracing the serial number on the diamond, we can track her down and hold her accountable," the detective told her as he inspected the stone.
That was all Nancy wanted to hear. She left the station, feeling guilty about how she had to resort to extreme measures to protect Steven from Rosaline.
But in the end, she had only done the best for Steven.
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