Eric nodded. “We met a couple of weeks ago—randomly, at the grocery store. We started talking. Something just… clicked. We both grew up in foster care. The stories lined up. We’re waiting on DNA results, but it all makes sense.”
Mariah added gently, “I remember a boy from my old group home who was quiet, kind… I always wondered what happened to him. When I met Eric, it felt like I’d found that boy again.”
Mariah glanced down. “He’s mine. My husband had a family emergency last night and had to fly out. I had no one else to turn to.”
“I didn’t want to throw all this on you while you were traveling,” Eric said. “When you came home last night, I panicked.”
Vanessa looked at them—at Mariah’s kind face, at Eric’s nervous hands. And then at the baby, who gurgled in his sleep in the next room.
The resemblance between Mariah and Eric was undeniable. Same eyes. Same smile.
A New Chapter—Born Out of a Surprise
Over coffee and bagels, the tension slowly lifted. Mariah explained her life: married, two other children, stable. She wasn’t here to disrupt their marriage. She just needed help—family.
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