Ava called her mother to let her know that they would be coming home as a family soon. Fifteen years had passed since Ava last visited her childhood home. After finishing high school, Ava wanted to study law. However, her parents were against it. Although it was a respectable profession, they envisioned their only daughter as a doctor or a teacher. This led to a significant family argument, after which Ava packed her belongings, told her parents they didn’t understand her, and left for good. She promised to live life her own way.
For five years, they didn’t speak. Eventually, Ava made the first call and assured her parents she was fine. Their communication resumed, but Ava never returned home. She didn’t tell them about her marriage or her new life. Instead, she simply informed them of the facts: she had a husband and two daughters, a son, and another daughter.
Eventually, they arrived home. Ava’s mother, Helen, couldn’t contain her joy at meeting her grandchildren. They were her blood, and they even had the same blonde hair as Ava. Ava’s husband, Ethan, was supportive in everything. Helen smiled warmly, thrilled to finally see her daughter’s family. She happily agreed when Ava suggested they live with her parents until their own apartment was ready. Helen was delighted, feeling she had been given a chance to make up for lost time with her grandchildren.
The family lived together for nearly a year. Helen enjoyed every moment of having the children around. Eventually, they found a suitable apartment. However, between renovations and furniture shopping, another three months passed before the family moved. Once they left, Helen’s house became eerily quiet. There were no more whispers of children, no stories from Ethan that the whole family used to enjoy. Missing her grandchildren, Helen visited them daily for a while.
One day, someone knocked on Ava’s apartment door. When she opened it, she turned pale. She wanted to close the door immediately, but the woman outside placed her foot to stop it and asked to be let in. Helen came to check what the commotion was about.
Standing there was a woman of indeterminate age. The first thing that caught Helen’s eye was how much the woman resembled Ava’s children. It was as if they shared the same face.
Ava, visibly shaken, called Ethan and asked him to come home as soon as possible. She led the woman, who introduced herself as Valerie, into the kitchen. When Ava asked how she had found them, Valerie replied that it wasn’t difficult in this day and age. Valerie then demanded to see the children. Helen wanted to ask questions, but Ava subtly shook her head to silence her. When Ethan arrived, the three of them stayed in the kitchen for two hours, while Helen kept the children occupied in another room.
After two hours, Valerie left, looking around as she walked out. She didn’t see the children, who could be heard playing in another room behind closed doors. Later, as Helen prepared to leave for home, she asked Ava to walk her out. Once outside, Helen bombarded her daughter with questions about what had happened.
Ava finally opened up. She told her mother that she had met Ethan eight years ago. Their relationship began with casual conversations and eventually a date. On their first meeting, Ethan shared his story: he was divorced and raising two daughters on his own. He had hired a nanny because his work kept him busy, and the girls were still very young. At that time, Sara was three and a half, and Mia was just six months old. Ethan’s wife had left shortly after Mia was born. One evening, Ethan came home from work to find a note in the kitchen. His wife had left for good and relinquished custody of the children.
“We didn’t date long,” Ava admitted. “When I saw those little girls, I knew I couldn’t leave them. So I moved in, and nobody knows I’m not their biological mother.” Ava then looked at her mother and asked, “Mom, do you judge me for this?”
Tears welled up in Helen’s eyes. “No, my dear,” she said. “I’m so proud of you. You’re the best mom those children could have.”
