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.\n

Megan rushed to comfort her. \u201cTina, are you okay?\u201d she asked, patting her shoulder.\n

Her friend tried to console her, admitting that they should\u2019ve waited some more before Tina met Shawn. But Tina was honestly not listening as new thoughts raced in her head.\n

\u201cI need some air,\u201d Tina said, suddenly needing to escape. She handed Shawn back and left her friend\u2019s house, knowing her thoughts were crazy. Her baby had been declared dead at the hospital. This had to be a coincidence.\n

At home, Tina faced her grief directly by opening a baby book with Liam\u2019s photos. The birthmark on the picture matched Shawn\u2019s exactly, only worsening her suspicions and the horrible implications. Should she wait or\u2026no, she couldn\u2019t stay still.\n

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

\u201cI need to know if my son is still alive,\u201d she told him, her hands holding her phone too roughly. \u201cI think my friend\u2019s adopted son might be my own.\u201d\n

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

\u201cThere\u2019s one thing, though,\u201d Tina added, gulping. \u201cMegan can\u2019t know about this. Not yet. Not until we know for sure. I\u2026 I know how crazy this all sounds, Detective Harris, but I need to know.\u201d\n

The caf\u00e9 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\u2019t worried.\n

$\"Woman$ \n\n

Megan sat down and immediately grabbed Tina\u2019s hands. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry about nagging you to come and meet Shawn\u2026 Can you forgive me?\u201d she asked.\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Tina replied, hiding her true feelings behind a half-smile. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I reacted that way. I should be happy for you. Tell me about the adoption.\u201d\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Tina. I don\u2019t want to upset you,\u201d Megan said, avoiding eye contact.\n

Tina pressed on. \u201cOur friendship means a lot to me, so I\u2019ll try,\u201d she said, leaning forward to show her eagerness. Megan frowned slightly but started talking, briefly sharing about the adoption.\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long process. There\u2019s tons of paperwork, and most of the time, you\u2019re just waiting to get that call,\u201d her friend said as Tina nodded.\n

Her friend didn\u2019t elaborate, so after a few minutes, Tina directly asked Megan how she found Shawn. \u201cThrough an agency\u2026 It was a private adoption,\u201d she replied, her voice cautious.\n

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

\u201cWhy are you asking all these questions?\u201d she wondered, frowning.\n

\u201cI think Shawn might be my son,\u201d Tina admitted, showing Megan a photo of Liam with the same birthmark as Shawn.\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a birthmark, Tina. Thousands of people have them,\u201d Megan argued, her voice lowering. \u201cI know this has been rough on you. I\u2019m sorry. You\u2019re grieving. I should\u2019ve been more sensitive.\u201d\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t just grief, Megan!\u201d Tina snapped. \u201cWhen I held him, I knew. The birthmark confirms it. You see it, too. Just admit it.\u201d\n

\u201cTina, this is insane. Shawn is my son. I adopted him legally,\u201d Megan said, shaking her head and standing.\n

Tina rose, too, grabbing her friend\u2019s arm. \u201cLook me in the eye and tell me you don\u2019t see it\u2019s exactly the same as Liam\u2019s!\u201d
\n\u201cThey are not the same!\u201d Megan snapped, pulling away. \u201cYou\u2019re out of your mind!\u201d\n

The caf\u00e9 manager intervened due to the commotion. Tina suggested showing the manager the birthmark photos, but Megan refused, calling Tina\u2019s behavior crazy and leaving the caf\u00e9 in tears.\n

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\u2019s social media before being blocked.\n

Mark told her to stop it because it was too painful for him. He didn\u2019t want anything more to do with Tina or their past. Their marriage had dissolved due to Liam\u2019s death, and he just wanted to move on.\n

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

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\u2019s presence in the delivery room.\n

\u201cThat witch stole my baby,\u201d 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.\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a complicated case,\u201d 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.\n

\u201cLet\u2019s do it. Let\u2019s get the DNA test,\u201d 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.\n

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

Leaving the lawyer\u2019s office, Tina got to her car, contemplating the challenging path to uncovering the truth about Shawn. Yet, she couldn\u2019t give up. Not now, not when there was still a slim chance that Shawn could be her son.\n

\u201cNurse Hayley,\u201d Tina muttered. \u201cShe would know for certain.\u201d\n

\u201cI need to speak to Nurse Hayley,\u201d Tina demanded at the hospital reception. The receptionist typed something into her computer, her brows knitting together.\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, but Nurse Hayley no longer works here,\u201d she said. Despite Tina\u2019s pleas, the receptionist could not assist her further. So, she left, dragging her feet to her car as if waiting for a sign.\n

Her phone rang, making her jump.\n

\u201cTina,\u201d Detective Harris barked once she answered the call, \u201cwe\u2019ve got a problem. A big one.\u201d\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d\n

\u201cMegan,\u201d he continued, his voice clipped. \u201cShe\u2019s making moves. Packing, clearing out the bank account, and booking international flights. Looks like she\u2019s getting outta here, and fast. Call your lawyer. You need to stop her, or you\u2019ll never see that baby again.\u201d\n

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\u2019t count on having to schedule these things.\n

\u201cEmergency custody order? You need an appointment,\u201d Doris, the clerk, stated.\n

\u201cNo time for appointments. My son\u2019s being taken abroad. Kidnapped!\u201d Tina protested, her hand resting on the woman\u2019s desk.\n

Doris checked her schedule. \u201cNext opening, two weeks.\u201d\n

$\"C\u00f3$ \n

Tina couldn\u2019t accept that. Her phone buzzed with a message from Detective Harris: \u201cLost her trail. Headed to the airport.\u201d\n

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

Navigating through the crowded airport, Tina sought help from security. \u201cMy son, he\u2019s being taken\u2026 with that woman,\u201d she explained, breathless and near tears.\n

The officers were confused and unhelpful. \u201cMa\u2019am, please, just calm down. We\u2019ll sort it out,\u201d one said, trying to reassure her.\n

Tina didn\u2019t have time to make them understand. She maneuvered around them and ran toward Megan. \u201cYou can\u2019t take him!\u201d she yelled after catching up to her. \u201cHe\u2019s mine. I know about the nurse, the private adoption\u2026 she was at the hospital.\u201d\n

Megan looked up, startled. \u201cTina, I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about,\u201d she said, confusion and fear in her eyes.\n

\u201cHe\u2019s my son, Megan. I can feel it. And the birthmark\u2026\u201d Tina\u2019s voice broke.\n

Megan\u2019s arms held Shawn tightly. \u201cHe\u2019s my son, Tina. I\u2019m raising him,\u201d she responded, her voice trembling slightly.\n

Tina\u2019s gaze never wavered from Shawn\u2019s face. \u201cI love him, Megan. I\u2019ve never stopped loving him.\u201d\n

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.\n

\u201cI just wanted to give him a good life. He had no one, and I\u2026 I was so alone,\u201d Megan finally said, blubbering.\n

Tina sighed, not wanting to hurt her or risk anything. So, she came up with an idea. \u201cHe needs his mother, Megan. Both of us.\u201d\n

Megan\u2019s expression turned hopeful as she said, \u201cShared custody?\u201d\n

Tina nodded, but she didn\u2019t mean it.\n

The DNA test confirmed Shawn was indeed Tina\u2019s biological son. Megan hung her head as they read the results at Tina\u2019s home. Her lawyer was present just in case.\n

\u201cI knew too,\u201d Megan confessed.\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Tina pressed.\n

\u201cThe fear of losing him\u2026 blinded me,\u201d Megan explained. \u201cI saw his birthmark. But I convinced myself you were wrong, made myself believe it was just a coincidence.\u201d\n

\u201cMeg\u2026\u201d Tina whispered.\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Tina,\u201d Megan sobbed. \u201cI never meant to hurt you.\u201d\n

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\u2019t the case. Her friend had been duped, too, by the agency and the criminal nurse.\n

A full investigation was set in place. But they had other worries. \u201cDid you bring the shared custody papers?\u201d Tina asked the lawyer, ending the hug with her friend as she was finally ready to formalize their agreement at the airport.\n

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 \u2013 a family redefined by love and resilience.\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 …\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":73956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73957,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73955\/revisions\/73957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}