ina struggled to feel happy for her best friend Megan, who was showing off her adopted son, Shawn. “He’s perfect, Meg,” she managed to say, even though she was still mourning her own son’s death and dealing with a recent divorce.

Still, Megan glowed with happiness as she showed Shawn to her best friend in the world, pointing out his cute features. When Tina held the baby, though, she was shocked to feel an unexpected warmth and familiarity.

Something caught her attention. It was a distinctive birthmark on the baby that looked exactly like the one her late son had. Unable to contain her emotions, Tina started sobbing with the baby still in her arms.

Megan rushed to comfort her. “Tina, are you okay?” she asked, patting her shoulder.

“No,” Tina replied weakly.

Her friend tried to console her, admitting that they should’ve waited some more before Tina met Shawn. But Tina was honestly not listening as new thoughts raced in her head.

Could Shawn really be her Liam?

“I need some air,” Tina said, suddenly needing to escape. She handed Shawn back and left her friend’s house, knowing her thoughts were crazy. Her baby had been declared dead at the hospital. This had to be a coincidence.

At home, Tina faced her grief directly by opening a baby book with Liam’s photos. The birthmark on the picture matched Shawn’s exactly, only worsening her suspicions and the horrible implications. Should she wait or…no, she couldn’t stay still.

Determined, Tina contacted a private investigator, Detective Harris, to find out if Shawn could be her biological son.

“I need to know if my son is still alive,” she told him, her hands holding her phone too roughly. “I think my friend’s adopted son might be my own.”

She recounted the striking similarity of the birthmarks, and Harris agreed to take the case.

“There’s one thing, though,” Tina added, gulping. “Megan can’t know about this. Not yet. Not until we know for sure. I… I know how crazy this all sounds, Detective Harris, but I need to know.”

“Discretion is part of the job, Ms. Collins,” he assured her.

The café was bustling with people, but Tina was focused on the door. She had invited Megan over, hoping to learn more about the adoption process she went through to get her baby. Her friend arrived late, but Tina wasn’t worried.

Megan sat down and immediately grabbed Tina’s hands. “I’m so sorry about nagging you to come and meet Shawn… Can you forgive me?” she asked.

“Of course,” Tina replied, hiding her true feelings behind a half-smile. “I’m sorry I reacted that way. I should be happy for you. Tell me about the adoption.”

“I don’t know, Tina. I don’t want to upset you,” Megan said, avoiding eye contact.

Tina pressed on. “Our friendship means a lot to me, so I’ll try,” she said, leaning forward to show her eagerness. Megan frowned slightly but started talking, briefly sharing about the adoption.

“It’s a long process. There’s tons of paperwork, and most of the time, you’re just waiting to get that call,” her friend said as Tina nodded.

Her friend didn’t elaborate, so after a few minutes, Tina directly asked Megan how she found Shawn. “Through an agency… It was a private adoption,” she replied, her voice cautious.

Tina pressed for details about his background, but Megan insisted it was confidential.

“Why are you asking all these questions?” she wondered, frowning.

“I think Shawn might be my son,” Tina admitted, showing Megan a photo of Liam with the same birthmark as Shawn.

“It’s a birthmark, Tina. Thousands of people have them,” Megan argued, her voice lowering. “I know this has been rough on you. I’m sorry. You’re grieving. I should’ve been more sensitive.”

“It isn’t just grief, Megan!” Tina snapped. “When I held him, I knew. The birthmark confirms it. You see it, too. Just admit it.”

“Tina, this is insane. Shawn is my son. I adopted him legally,” Megan said, shaking her head and standing.

Tina rose, too, grabbing her friend’s arm. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t see it’s exactly the same as Liam’s!”
“They are not the same!” Megan snapped, pulling away. “You’re out of your mind!”

The café manager intervened due to the commotion. Tina suggested showing the manager the birthmark photos, but Megan refused, calling Tina’s behavior crazy and leaving the café in tears.

Even then, Tina was convinced of her theory and took action by tagging her ex-husband, Mark, in photos of Shawn she found on Megan’s social media before being blocked.

Mark told her to stop it because it was too painful for him. He didn’t want anything more to do with Tina or their past. Their marriage had dissolved due to Liam’s death, and he just wanted to move on.

Other people told her to stop, and Megan refused to answer her calls. Why was no one on her side?

At last, Detective Harris called with a lead: the adoption was facilitated by a nurse named Hayley from the hospital where Tina gave birth. This revelation hit Tina hard, recalling Hayley’s presence in the delivery room.

“That witch stole my baby,” Tina concluded, suddenly cutting off the call with the detective. She had some things to do and immediately looked up the address of a lawyer.

“It’s a complicated case,” the lawyer said after Tina finished discussing her suspicions about Shawn being her biological son, detailing the coincidences and her encounter with Megan. The attorney then explained the hurdles of private adoption and the necessity of DNA proof.

“Let’s do it. Let’s get the DNA test,” Tina insisted, wanting to jump out of her seat. However, the lawyer cautioned about the difficulties of obtaining consent for the test and the potential for a lengthy process.

Despite this, Tina was determined to fight for her son as she believed something shady had truly happened at the hospital.

Leaving the lawyer’s office, Tina got to her car, contemplating the challenging path to uncovering the truth about Shawn. Yet, she couldn’t give up. Not now, not when there was still a slim chance that Shawn could be her son.

“Nurse Hayley,” Tina muttered. “She would know for certain.”

“I need to speak to Nurse Hayley,” Tina demanded at the hospital reception. The receptionist typed something into her computer, her brows knitting together.

“I’m sorry, but Nurse Hayley no longer works here,” she said. Despite Tina’s pleas, the receptionist could not assist her further. So, she left, dragging her feet to her car as if waiting for a sign.

Her phone rang, making her jump.

“Tina,” Detective Harris barked once she answered the call, “we’ve got a problem. A big one.”

“What is it?”

“Megan,” he continued, his voice clipped. “She’s making moves. Packing, clearing out the bank account, and booking international flights. Looks like she’s getting outta here, and fast. Call your lawyer. You need to stop her, or you’ll never see that baby again.”

After calling her lawyer, Tina learned she had to get to the courthouse immediately and request a specific order. She would join her soon but had something to do first. Unfortunately, Tina didn’t count on having to schedule these things.

“Emergency custody order? You need an appointment,” Doris, the clerk, stated.

“No time for appointments. My son’s being taken abroad. Kidnapped!” Tina protested, her hand resting on the woman’s desk.

Doris checked her schedule. “Next opening, two weeks.”

Tina couldn’t accept that. Her phone buzzed with a message from Detective Harris: “Lost her trail. Headed to the airport.”

Abandoning the slow legal process, Tina dashed to the airport, her heart pounding with fear of losing Shawn forever.

Navigating through the crowded airport, Tina sought help from security. “My son, he’s being taken… with that woman,” she explained, breathless and near tears.

The officers were confused and unhelpful. “Ma’am, please, just calm down. We’ll sort it out,” one said, trying to reassure her.

Tina didn’t have time to make them understand. She maneuvered around them and ran toward Megan. “You can’t take him!” she yelled after catching up to her. “He’s mine. I know about the nurse, the private adoption… she was at the hospital.”

Megan looked up, startled. “Tina, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, confusion and fear in her eyes.

“He’s my son, Megan. I can feel it. And the birthmark…” Tina’s voice broke.

Megan’s arms held Shawn tightly. “He’s my son, Tina. I’m raising him,” she responded, her voice trembling slightly.

Tina’s gaze never wavered from Shawn’s face. “I love him, Megan. I’ve never stopped loving him.”

The words caught in her throat as the raw memory of her loss was too brutal to speak aloud. But Megan understood. Her face crumpled. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, mirroring the rainstorm raging within Tina.

“I just wanted to give him a good life. He had no one, and I… I was so alone,” Megan finally said, blubbering.

Tina sighed, not wanting to hurt her or risk anything. So, she came up with an idea. “He needs his mother, Megan. Both of us.”

Megan’s expression turned hopeful as she said, “Shared custody?”

Tina nodded, but she didn’t mean it.

The DNA test confirmed Shawn was indeed Tina’s biological son. Megan hung her head as they read the results at Tina’s home. Her lawyer was present just in case.

“I knew too,” Megan confessed.

“What do you mean?” Tina pressed.

“The fear of losing him… blinded me,” Megan explained. “I saw his birthmark. But I convinced myself you were wrong, made myself believe it was just a coincidence.”

“Meg…” Tina whispered.

“I’m so sorry, Tina,” Megan sobbed. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Tina hugged her friend, understanding that kind of devastation more than anyone. At first, she thought Megan had been part of that ploy, but she knew that wasn’t the case. Her friend had been duped, too, by the agency and the criminal nurse.

A full investigation was set in place. But they had other worries. “Did you bring the shared custody papers?” Tina asked the lawyer, ending the hug with her friend as she was finally ready to formalize their agreement at the airport.

Liam would have to grow up with two moms, which was good since Mark had left the country. They would build something beautiful, not just for Shawn, but for themselves – a family redefined by love and resilience.