They took in a three-year-old boy, but during his first bath, my husband panicked and said, “We have to send him back!”
The longing for a child was so strong it consumed every corner of Charlotte and James’s hearts, pushing them to do whatever it took to make it happen.
After years of failed attempts to conceive and thousands of pounds spent on treatments and IVF, they faced the painful truth—they wouldn’t have a child naturally.
So, they chose to adopt. But it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
James was swamped with work, leaving Charlotte to handle everything—contacting agencies, filling out forms, and scanning lists of children needing a home.
As she pored over the files, one child, just three years old, caught her eye.
At first, they’d hoped for a baby, but chances were slim, so they opened their hearts to a toddler instead.
The boy Charlotte chose had the most striking blue eyes she’d ever seen—like a summer sky. For some reason, looking at his photo, she felt an instant connection, as if she’d known him forever.
After discussing it with James, they brought Thomas home.
He was the sweetest little boy, settling in quickly and even calling Charlotte “Mum” within weeks.
Everything fell into place. Charlotte’s greatest wish had come true—she was finally a mother, and life couldn’t be better.
Then one evening, everything changed.
Thomas needed a bath, and James offered to do it, eager to bond with his son. Charlotte was thrilled—this was exactly the kind of moment she’d hoped for.
But as James helped Thomas undress and step into the tub, he suddenly blurted out, “We have to send him back!”
Charlotte froze. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.
James looked shaken. He said the whole experience was overwhelming—he couldn’t handle this new responsibility.
Charlotte was stunned. This wasn’t like him. Something didn’t add up.
She barely slept that night, but then it hit her—she remembered Thomas had a small birthmark on the bottom of his foot. And James had one in the exact same spot.
The next morning, she confronted him. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
James admitted the truth—he thought Thomas might be his biological son. Seeing that birthmark had shocked him.
Years ago, he’d had a fling with a woman he met at a pub. It was just a one-time mistake, but it happened when Charlotte was at her lowest, going through gruelling IVF.
He hated himself for betraying her trust, but for Charlotte, it was unforgivable. She couldn’t stay with him.
James didn’t disappear from Thomas’s life entirely—there were occasional visits, birthday cards in the post—but their relationship was distant.
Charlotte knew she’d made the right choice. The moment James was willing to give up his own son to hide his past, she knew she had to walk away.
