“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.
