A minted father who is unwilling to spend money to raise his newborn twins asks his wife to give up one baby for adoption. He kicks her out with the babies when she refuses and knocks on her door for help five years later.
It was a cold, rainy night, and Angie cradled her newborn babies at the bus stop. “Where will we go? Jesus, please help us. Shelter us as we wait out this rough night,” she cried, wiping warm tear droplets off her babies’ faces. Angie had nowhere to go, and her parents had died long back.
Suddenly, she sensed something creeping behind her and was terrified. Angie mustered the courage to protect her babies from whatever it was. “It’s a dog!” she sighed.
Angie never imagined her life would turn topsy-turvy overnight. She never thought her husband Jake, who she trusted and loved throughout their marriage, would kick her out with their babies just a week after their birth…
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
“How I wish my mom were with me today…Sorry, mama, I should’ve listened to you and not rushed with my marriage with Jake,” sobbed Angie, thinking about her late mom.
“You can stay in this house as long as you agree to keep just one baby or leave if you want to keep both. Decide wisely, dear.”
Angie met Jake after graduation five years ago. He was a young, handsome man, and she thought he was the one. They fell for each other in what would turn into a fairytale love story, but with one exception—there was no ‘happily ever after’ in Angie’s case.
Problems sparked in the fourth year of their marriage when she told Jake she was pregnant.
“But darling, you know I’ve just started my business. We have postponed baby planning all these years, and I am not ready to be a father yet,” Jake was upset when Angie showed him the two pink lines on her pregnancy test kit.
Jake’s reluctance to be a father showed he was unprepared for responsibilities. Poor Angie was torn between his disapproval of having children and her desire to have as many as possible. But was Jake prepared to know Angie was pregnant with twins?
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
“I am okay with having a baby…you get it? I mean, one baby is enough,” said Jake as Angie walked into the ward for scanning. “I pray that you don’t come out and tell me we are having twins,” he joked, his mouth curved into an ironic smile. Moments later, fate joked back at him.
Angie came out, distressed and worried. She was pale while she was supposed to be blushing and smiling.
“What is it?” he asked her, impatient for her reply. “What did the doctor say?”
Angie swallowed her fear and spoke out, partly guessing Jake’s reaction. “Our babies are fine,” she said.
“Alright…wait, what…babies?” he exclaimed.
The scan Angie took minutes ago gave her a glimpse at two tiny lives growing inside her. She was pregnant with twins, and Jake was not happy about that.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Jake stormed to his car as Angie read his mind and pictured his frustrations. She was nervous and thought he had joked about having only one baby. But his reactions proved otherwise.
Jake grew distant from Angie day by day and focused only on making more money. She knew he was upset about having twins and assumed he would cool down with time. But it only worsened during her third trimester.
Angie was in the hospital, waiting for Jake to see their newborn twin baby girls. But he never showed up. He sent his maid and driver three days later to bring Angie and their babies home.
Jake did not want to get involved with his babies. He didn’t even welcome them home or hold them. He was unhappy and unprepared to be their father.
Angie returned home with her newborns that evening, knowing little about Jake’s condition. “We keep only one child and give the other up for adoption. If you are okay with it, we are a family. If not, you can leave the house with them,” he told Angie.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
At first, Angie thought Jake was kidding. He dragged her suitcase to the living room and placed it in front of her, indicating he was serious.
“I’m not ready to raise two children and burn a hole in my pocket. My business is fetching a lot of profits, and I need to focus on making more money…I don’t want to waste my time and wealth on raising two babies when I can easily raise just one,” he explained.
Angie was devastated. “They are our babies, Jake. How could you ask a mother to give up her baby? Are you out of your mind? Both my babies are our symbol of love,” she cried. But Jake was stubborn.
“My business has just started to flourish, and I don’t have the time to focus on family. I don’t want to waste my hard-earned money on two babies. You can stay in this house as long as you agree to keep just one baby or leave if you want to keep both. Decide wisely, dear,” he said, despite knowing Angie had nowhere to go.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
The poor mother’s choice was obvious. She took her suitcase and left the house with the babies. Jake’s greed for his newfound riches blinded his devotion to family. He failed as a husband and a father. But it didn’t matter to him.
Angie snapped to her present and found herself still deserted at the bus stop, cradling her babies. “Where will I go? Please help me, Jesus,” she cried and was disrupted by an intense beam of light rays.
“Hello there, are you alright? It’s raining heavily. Would you like a ride, my dear?” an older woman called out to her from a taxi. Angie looked up and saw a nun. She wrapped her babies in her jacket and approached the car.
“Oh my, how adorable your babies are!” exclaimed the nun. “Get in. I’ll drop you. Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know, Sister,” said Angie. “My path is dark, and I am lost. I don’t know which way to go. My babies and I were abandoned by someone dear to us.”
The nun understood Angie’s misery and immediately took her to the convent.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Angie and her daughters, Sophie and Marley, found a safe shelter to wait out the rough days of their lives. Angie taught in the school administered by the church. She also worked part-time in a restaurant, and two years later, she saved a good chunk of money to start her café.
Gradually, Angie was able to give her daughters a better life, though it could’ve been much better had their father been involved. Moreover, Angie did not regret her decision not wanting to divorce Jake. Deep in her heart, she hoped he would realize his mistake and come for them someday.
Five years passed, and Angie now had her own house. It was quite small yet comfortable. She spent the best years watching Sophia and Marley grow up.
There were times when Angie used to struggle without enough profits in business, but her faith and determination motivated her. She launched two more coffee shops in town, and gradually, her fortune grew. But in the other part of town, Jake’s business tanked.
He was drowned in debt, and everybody he sought financial help from refused to support him at the last minute. Jake knew how rich Angie was now and thought only she could help him.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
“Hey, how are you?” Angie answered the door one day when she least expected to see Jake at the doorstep. “Come in!”
Jake vaguely smiled and immediately apologized to Angie. “Darling, I’m so sorry for abandoning you. My greed to earn more money cost me big. I am bankrupt, and it’s the best punishment I deserve for kicking you out with our babies. Please forgive me, and please help me.”
Angie now understood why Jake had come. She had learned about his loss in business but never thought he would visit her and apologize, let alone ask for help.
Jake saw a photo of Angie with their daughters and cried. “I’m sorry, sweethearts. Please forgive your daddy,” he said. Angie’s heart melted, and though she knew Jake had come crawling for help, she was willing to do it because she still loved him.
“But darling, I will not be able to repay such a huge amount of money. I will need time. I was such a cruel husband and a heartless father. Are you sure you want to help me?” he sobbed when Angie gave him a check worth the money he wanted.
“The night you kicked me out, I learned what greed is and how it can ruin relationships. And today, I learned what forgiveness is. What are we going to achieve by holding onto our past grudges? Nothing! Everyone makes mistakes, but as humans, we must learn to forgive one another,” said Angie.
Jake realized his mistake and promised to take Angie and their kids back once he sorted his business issues. He wanted to be a good father to his children and compensate for the heartbreak Angie endured all these years.
My Wife Set Hidden Cameras at Her Ex-husband’s Home While He Was Away — I Told Him Everything & He Came up with a Plan
When Denise’s jealousy over her ex-husband’s new relationship drives her to plant hidden cameras in his home, she sets off a chain of events that forces her to confront her unresolved feelings. As secrets unravel, Denise must choose between holding on to the past or rebuilding her future.
Blended families come with their own unique challenges, but I never expected mine to include hidden cameras, confrontations, and a battle of egos.
A man looking out a window | Source: Midjourney
I married Denise two years ago, and while I knew her past was complicated, I didn’t realize how much it would spill into our lives. Denise had a six-year-old daughter, Shelby, with her ex-husband, Elon, and their co-parenting arrangement was… tense.
Denise was overbearing when it came to our stepdaughter, and her fixation on Elon’s life didn’t help anything.
Elon, to his credit, hadn’t dated anyone seriously since their divorce. Denise often said that was better.
A smiling little girl | Source: Midjourney
“There will be no witchy stepmom messing up my daughter’s life, Levi,” she said to me one night over a glass of wine and salads. “Shelby’s life will be perfect, and I’ll be the only mother she ever knows.”
But when Elon introduced his new girlfriend, Lena, into the picture, Denise’s carefully constructed narrative crumbled before her eyes.
Food on a table | Source: Midjourney
“And you know what?! Levi! She’s met Shelby already!” she fumed over dinner. “What kind of woman just waltzes into a child’s life like that? He should’ve asked me first!”
She slammed the spoon so hard into the pasta dish that specks of food went everywhere.
I kept quiet, unwilling to fuel the fire. Elon didn’t owe Denise updates about his personal life anymore. But Denise wasn’t one to let things go. She demanded to meet Lena, claiming that it was her right as a mother to “test” anyone around her daughter.
An angry woman sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney
“Seriously, Levi. I need to know if this woman is good for my child or if she’ll just cause Shelby to go to therapy.”
A few weeks later, I was using Denise’s tablet when a message from her mom caught my attention.
Have you checked the feed yet, Denise? What’s Lena like?
“What the hell? Oh, Denise, what have you done?” I muttered.
The feed?
A tablet on a table | Source: Midjourney
My stomach tightened as I scrolled through their messages, piecing it all together. Denise had used the spare key Elon had given her to install hidden cameras in his house.
“This key is just in case Shelby leaves something behind when she’s with you, Denise,” Elon had said over family brunch one weekend. “I know it’s weird for you, given our history, but I’d rather know that you can get to her things if I’m not there.”
I’ll admit, I respected the heck out of him for that. Honestly, which man would just give his ex-wife keys to his house?
Keys on a table | Source: Midjourney
But this… what Denise had done… it actually repulsed me.
When I confronted her, she didn’t even look guilty.
“It’s not what you think, babe,” she said defensively. “I just need to make sure Lena’s treating my baby girl right.”
“By spying on them? In their private time?” I shot back, almost dropping my cup of coffee. “This isn’t normal, Denise. It’s invasive, and I’m pretty sure it breaks a few laws, too.”
A cup of coffee on a table | Source: Midjourney
She crossed her arms, her expression icy.
“You don’t understand. And you don’t care about Shelby the way I do. I guess you don’t… she’s not your child anyway.”
I was furious. Sure, Shelby may not have been my biological child, but she was as good as! This wasn’t about protecting her. This was about Denise’s obsession with control. And her jealousy over Elon moving on with his life.
A frowning man | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t let it slide. I had to be the bigger person. I had to do the right thing.
When I told Elon about the cameras, he was furious.
His jaw clenched as he paced the room, muttering under his breath. But then he stopped, his expression softened into something I didn’t expect: a sly grin.
“Thanks, Lev,” he said. “I appreciate the honesty and the heads up. But now it’s my turn to ‘test’ Denise.”
An upset man standing in a living room | Source: Midjourney
“Wait,” I muttered. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing hectic,” he replied sheepishly. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you know everything.”
He laid out his plan.
He was going to pretend he didn’t know about the cameras and act perfectly polite and loving with Lena. So much so that it would drive Denise up the wall. Then, he was going to set the stage for a confrontation.
A man sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
Look, I wasn’t sure that it was the best idea, but even I had to admit that Denise needed to learn that her actions had consequences.
Elon knew Denise would watch every second of the footage. It was something that I believed too, even though the thought of it made me uneasy.
What was Denise still holding onto? Was this really about Shelby? Or was this about Elon finding love with someone else? I didn’t know what to think.
A man sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
But Elon was absolutely right. Denise did watch every moment. He and Lena played their parts perfectly, making casual but affectionate comments to each other often. One offhand remark from Lena, about Elon loving her cooking, sent Denise spiraling.
“She thinks she’s so much better than me, Levi!” Denise ranted that night, pacing the living room. “As if her cooking could ever compare to mine. Seriously, what is this man thinking? She probably only wants his money… and the house.”
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
The next day, Denise announced that she was hosting a family dinner. She spent hours in the kitchen, preparing an elaborate spread.
Elon, of course, thought that it was the perfect chance to expose her publicly.
“Of course, I’ll be there!” he said into the phone. “Anything to make Shelby happy! And the kiddo loves having us all together.”
A woman busy in the kitchen | Source: Midjourney
The dinner started off tense but polite. Denise was on edge, glaring at Lena whenever she laughed at one of Elon’s jokes. Elon, meanwhile, played the perfect guest, complimenting the food and chatting warmly.
But Denise couldn’t hold back for long. I knew she was biting her tongue. And I also knew that she was going to explode.
As dessert was served, a large cheesecake, Denise’s act began to crumble.
“So… now you like my cooking? It’s not so bad after all, is it?”
A cheesecake on a dinner table | Source: Midjourney
Elon set down his fork slowly, his expression calm but cold.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“You know what I mean!” she snapped loudly, throwing her napkin to the floor. “I’m talking about your girlfriend supposedly cooking better than me. You love her cooking, don’t you?”
He leaned back, his gaze piercing.
“What are you getting this from, Denise? When have I ever said such a thing to your face? When have I ever told anyone that?”
A crumpled napkin thrown onto the floor | Source: Midjourney
Checkmate, I thought, taking a sip of my wine.
Denise faltered, her composure slipping.
“Of course, you said it… to your girlfriend,” she stammered. “I overheard it… you must have been here. How else would I hear it?”
Elon stood, his tone suddenly ice cold.
A glass of wine on a table | Source: Midjourney
“I know about the cameras, Denise,” he said evenly. “I know what you did.”
The room went silent.
“That’s low. Real low. Do you realize that I could take you to court for this? Spying on me and my personal life? But I won’t. For the sake of our daughter, I’ll let this go, but let me be clear, this is your first and only warning. Do not interfere in my life again. Don’t even think about it. I have proof, and I won’t hesitate next time.”
Denise’s face went pale. She looked to me for support, but I shook my head.
An angry man sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney
“Yes, it was me. I told him about the cameras,” I said firmly. “I couldn’t hide something like that. It’s not just your reputation at stake but mine as well. And honestly, in this situation, I’m on his side.”
That was the final blow. Denise broke down into tears, apologizing to us all profusely.
Later that night, when Shelby was in bed and Denise and I were sitting on the porch outside, she admitted her true feelings. She admitted that she’d been struggling to cope with the divorce on a whole and that while she didn’t have any feelings for Elon, she was still jealous over Elon’s new relationship.
An upset woman sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney
“I need you to consider therapy, love,” I said. “There’s a lot of unresolved feelings here. And they’re going to poison our marriage, your relationship with Elon, and eventually… your relationship with Shelby.”
“But… I don’t know, Levi,” she muttered.
“Denise… if you don’t try, I don’t know if we’ll survive.”
For once, Denise listened.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
It had been months since that dinner, the night everything unraveled.
Since then, Denise had started her therapy, and while the progress wasn’t instant, I could see a change in her. She wasn’t as quick to lash out, and she seemed more focused on being present for our family.
One afternoon, she approached me in the kitchen, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
A woman standing in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“Elon asked me to meet him for coffee,” she said hesitantly.
I raised an eyebrow while chopping the vegetables for our noodles.
“I think I need to do this,” she said. “For closure.”
Denise sat across Elon, a steaming cup of tea between them. She had rehearsed this moment in her head for days, but now, the words caught in her throat.
Food in a coffee shop | Source: Midjourney
Elon waited patiently, his expression unreadable.
“I owe you an apology,” she said quietly.
“For what, specifically?”
“For everything. For invading your privacy, for trying to control your life, for… not letting go.”
Elon leaned back in his chair, studying her.
A man sitting in a coffee shop | Source: Midjourney
“Why now?”
“Therapy has made me realize a lot of things, things I wasn’t ready to face before. I was angry about the divorce, and about how easily you seemed to move on… But then, how could I feel that way when I was already married to Levi? Instead of dealing with those feelings, I buried them under my need to be… right.”
“You always did hate losing,” he said.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
A smiling woman sitting in a coffee shop | Source: Midjourney
“That hasn’t changed, but I’ve realized that being right isn’t the same as being happy. And I wasn’t fair to you. Or Lena. Or Levi. Or Shelby.”
“I won’t lie, Denise,” Elon said. “What you did… it crossed a line. But I do appreciate you owning up to it. Now, for the love of all that’s good, live your life, Denise. Have some fun with Levi. Make memories. New memories. Don’t worry about the past, we’re good. And we can co-parent our child in peace.”
Denise laughed softly.
“That’s the last time I’ll actually accept your instructions,” she said.
A smiling little girl sitting on a swing | Source: Midjourney
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When Hayley’s ex’s mom invites her to design a wedding dress for her big day, it seems strange, but nothing prepares Hayley for the truth. What follows is a confession, a second chance at love, and a surprise she never saw coming. Sometimes, life gives you the most unexpected twists…
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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