Emily and her partner decided to adopt after they were unable to start a family naturally. One young lady stood out to Emily and her companion because her hand bore a birthmark strikingly similar to Emily’s. It seemed like a sign that would be foolish to disregard. Perhaps they would have been better off ignoring it. Emily made a startling discovery when she finally got around to taking a DNA test.
The Result
Emily was sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, thinking to herself. Because he could not bring himself to give the results of Sophie’s DNA test over the phone, he decided to call her in to give them to her in person instead. And this was causing Emily a great deal of concern. In her mind, this could only point to some unfavorable developments…
A Bad News
Emily was able to immediately tell from the look on the doctor’s face that he was aware of the situation when he finally emerged from his office. This was very unfortunate news. As soon as the door to the office closed behind them, she immediately began pleading with the doctor to just tell her the truth without any further explanation. And the man who appeared to be dejected did as he was told…
It Brought Her To Her Knees
Emily was brought to her knees when she saw the DNA results. This was something that she never in a million years could have anticipated happening, but there was no longer any way to avoid the truth.
DNA Analysis
However, what did the analysis of Sophie’s DNA reveal? How was it possible for both of them to have the same birthmark, and why did Emily feel the need to get a DNA test in the first place?
DNA Analysis
Can’t Have Kids
Emily and David began having conversations about their alternatives to having children as soon as they came to the conclusion that they were unable to have children together. Neither one of them desired to go their entire lives without having a child.
Skepticism
Emily voiced a lot of skepticism regarding the possibility of adopting a child, which was one of the first choices that was suggested. She wasn’t sure this was the best choice for her life and needed more time to make a final decision.
Skepticism
Don’t Want To Consider Adoption
For one particular reason, she was opposed to the concept of becoming an adoptive parent. The child would not be hers in every sense of the word. Not those made of her flesh and blood. She was petrified that they would think of her as nothing more than a glorified babysitter.
Infant years
In addition to this, it is highly likely that they would be absent for the majority of the child’s infant years. Something that struck a chord with David but didn’t resonate with Emily at all. This actually didn’t make any sense for the young couple.
Infant years
A Chance
However, in light of the fact that they desired to give each possibility a fair shot, David was successful in persuading Emily to accompany him on his excursion to the orphanage. Emily did not understand the point of this at this point because she had already decided what she wanted to do, but she still decided to accompany him.
They’re Too Old
The vast majority of the kids living in the orphanage were at least three years old when they arrived there. Emily’s negative feelings toward this choice were only exacerbated by the fact that the children had already reached their adulthood.
Adopting
She was aware that adopting one of these children would be a tremendous way for her to assist one of them, but she simply did not feel compelled to pursue this course of action. This was an incredibly hard decision that Emily needed to figure out.
Adopting
This Girl Caught Her Attention
However, after that, a significant shift took place. Emily met the eyes of a young girl who appeared to be in a bad mood, and she felt a profoundly different connection with her than the one she had with the other children.
Luring her
At first, she was unable to articulate what it was that was luring her toward this teeny-tiny angel, but she knew that she had to find out. She felt this weird unexpected energy coming from the little child that she couldn’t resist.
Luring her
Sophie’s Story
The orphanage worker who was assisting the couple shared some information with them about a girl named Sophie. When the girl had just turned one year old, she had been secretly delivered to the orphanage by an unknown person. She had been in this house for two and a half years, and no one had expressed any interest in adopting her.
Going To A Foster Home
She had also reached the age where children were placed in foster care because their chances of being adopted diminished monthly. While Emily pretended to pay attention, the truth was that she was daydreaming.
Something About Sophie
She was simply trying to identify the source of her attraction to the young lady. For what reason did she suddenly feel so close to her? The strangeness of the situation was compounded when Emily made a discovery about little Sophie. However, this only served to deepen her affection for the young lady.
She Noticed A Birthmark
She grabbed at Sophie’s hand with alarming near-violence, startling the little girl and the woman helping them. David was about to ask Emily why the hell she was doing it when he caught sight of it as well. Sophie had a peculiar birthmark on her hand that he immediately recognized.
She Has One Too
Emily’s hand bore a birthmark that was an exact duplicate of mine! She was holding their hands next to each other, and the similarity between their fingers was eerie. Even more surprisingly, it appeared to be in the same location. Emily was having trouble comprehending what she was seeing. There is no way that this is a coincidence!
It Felt Like A Sign
When she looked at David, it appeared as though he was thinking exactly the same thing. Even though they did not understand how it was even possible, it was obvious that this was some kind of sign.
Sophie
They were compelled to take in Sophie. Emily and David couldn’t wait to finally bring their foster daughter home after the orphanage gave their approval to begin the adoption process. They were truly excited about this new stage in their married life.
Sophie
Sophie’s Chance To Have A New Family
The employees at the orphanage were not overly pleased with the manner in which Emily interacted with the children, but they were willing to overlook it because they believed this to be Sophie’s final opportunity to locate a family who would love and care for her forever. And the girl herself was exhibiting a reasonable amount of excitement.
Excited About Her New Home
Orphanage life was all that Sophie had ever known, and it was something that she yearned to put in the past as soon as possible. She was given nice treatment here, but she was aware that she did not receive as much attention as she would have liked to have received. She was forced to share with the other children who were in need because she was living in such a place…
A Welcome Party
Thankfully, Emily and David were able to adopt Sophie without too much difficulty. Within a fortnight, she had moved in with them, and during that time, her new family threw a big party to celebrate her return.
Happy at home
Sophie appeared to be enjoying the attention she was getting from both of her parents’ sides of the family, which were present at the gathering. It was exactly what they had imagine, it was perfect.
Happy at home
The Rest Of The Family Supported Them
Everyone else in the family was over the moon excited as well. It was the first time in their lives that Emily and David’s parents got to experience the joy of having a grandchild. For a good deal of time, becoming grandparents had been one of their highest priorities and dearest hopes.
David’s sister
They were all eager to watch the children as much as they could, even David’s sister, who showed a lot of interest in getting involved. However, Emily did not approve of this at all. This would be a huge problem during the next couple of days…
David’s sister
Wanting To Be Involved
It had only been relatively recently that David’s sister had begun to make progress in her recovery from some challenging times. She had been struggling with substance abuse and addiction for quite some time, and her family had even exiled her until she got completely sober so that they could watch her recover. Which, to be fair, she had been for almost an entire year at this point…
Too Early To Trust
Emily was of the opinion that it was still too soon to put one hundred percent of one’s trust in her, but David vehemently disagreed with her. Emily thought that he was really pushing for them to give his sister a chance, and he thought that they should give his sister a chance. It finally reached a point where she was unable to continue to refuse any longer.
Time Spent With Sophie
However, Emily was blessed with the opportunity to devote the vast majority of her time to Sophie. She worked a total of twenty hours per week, whereas David worked a full-time job that paid well, and she spent the rest of her time taking care of the household, raising their children, and being a housewife and mother. And she thought it was great! This was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for her. Or maybe not.
No Connection
Emily began to have the impression that she was not truly strengthening her connection with Sophie as more time passed after they became the girl’s adoptive parents. When they had first met, she had experienced that instant connection, but their relationship never developed into anything more.
Timid child
It appeared as though Sophie was extremely timid around her. That was something she simply could not say about David…There was definitely something weird regarding the attitude of the little girl, what could have happen?
Timid child
She’s Closer With David
It appeared as though Sophie and David were destined to be together, like two peas in a pod. During the week, he had a job, and Sophie spent the majority of her time sitting by the window, anticipating his return. And during the weekends, things were even worse because Sophie would only concentrate on David and would make no effort to make contact with Emily.
It Looks Suspicious
Emily felt like she was really failing at being a mother, and she asked David numerous times if he had any idea why Sophie acted in such a way. She felt like she was doing something wrong as a parent.
Reassurance
David gave her the reassurance that everything she was doing was appropriate and that all she needed to do was wait for some time to pass. When it comes to predicting how children will behave, one can never be sure. However, could this actually be the case?
Reassurance
Can’t Stop Thinking About It
Another thing that stood out to Emily was the fact that Sophie had developed close relationships with David’s family and David’s side of the family rather quickly, but not with Emily’s family or her side of the family.
David’s family
This was almost to be expected. It was clear that Sophie enjoyed spending more time with David’s parents and sister than she did with David himself. Emily’s mind was constantly racing with thoughts of it…
David’s family
Being Left Out
She would frequently stand a distance away and observe them through the window as they played in the backyard. They appeared to be so… whole and in harmony. And much to her disappointment, they never made an effort to include her in any of their pursuits.
Birthmark
She had a strong sense of being excluded, and the experience tore her heart apart gradually. The connection that she had initially felt with the other girl, most likely due to the fact that they had the same birthmark, was no longer there at all.
Birthmark
Feeling Insecure
Emily was absolutely unable to shake the feeling that David was withholding some information from her. She had attempted to form a connection with their daughter through a variety of means, but for some unknown reason, none of her efforts had been successful. She was beginning to experience feelings of desperation and insecurity, and her mind was beginning to race…
Having Weird Thoughts
The worst possible scenarios began to play through her head… She had a hard time believing what they were saying, but she couldn’t deny the truth of what they were saying either. It was clear that David was keeping something from her, but she had no idea what it was.
Biological parent
What if David was actually the biological parent of Sophie? How could that even be possible?! He wouldn’t have intentionally hurt her like that, would he? That was an awful thought but she needed answers before doing anything else.
Biological parent
Did He Cheat On Her?
Emily made numerous attempts to persuade herself that David had no intention of cheating on her. Since the very beginning, they had never wavered in their commitment to one another, and she never once had any reason to question his sincerity. If he had a child from a previous relationship, there is no question that he would have disclosed this information to her, right?
Having Doubts
Even though Emily still didn’t want to accept it, the more she gave it more thought, the more sense it made. Furthermore, she was at a loss as to why Sophie would love David so much more yet feel nothing at all for Emily. What if he was her biological father? But… How can that account for their birthmarks?
Having Doubts
Wanting Answers
All of Emily’s attempts to engage David in conversation about it were unsuccessful since he refused to listen. This increased Emily’s mistrust of him. She made the decision to handle the situation on her own and was determined to get to the bottom of it, even if it meant going behind his back.
Wanting Answers
Having A DNA Test
To find out if David was Sophie’s father, Emily made the decision to try a DNA test. Although she was aware that it was a bit extra, she was at a loss for what to do. She had to exercise extreme caution to avoid being discovered because she didn’t want anyone, especially David, to find out what she was up to.
Having A DNA Test
Coming Up With A Plan
She conducted some study and started the plan of action. Now she just had to find out a way to do it without them noticing… This was going to be a challenging challenge, but Emily was determined to make it work. From the hospital, she had acquired two cheek swabs that she could use to get Sophie’s and David’s DNA.
Coming Up With A Plan
Wanting Nothing But The Truth
Although Emily felt bad about her plan, she had no choice but to do it. The two of them had become increasingly estranged since they had brought Sophie home, but David continued to act as though everything was normal.
Wanting Nothing But The Truth
Answers
Prior to her, they had been in a decent place, but the adoption had just increased their separation—and their secretiveness. Emily was curious about the truth and these thoughts were always in her mind, she couldn’t leave that subject behind her.
Answers
The Night Of The Plan
Emily considered a number of methods before settling on taking the DNA samples while they were sound asleep. She reasoned that since David slept a lot, this would be her best chance. She planned to accomplish it tonight; she would first take Sophie’s DNA before David’s. She prayed that they wouldn’t wake up and discover her in the act.
The Night Of The Plan
It Was Now Or Never
Emily had set the alarm for 2 a.m. that night, but she couldn’t fall asleep due to her anxiety. Soon after they went to sleep, David began snoring. She inhaled deeply. She understood that now was the time to act, so she did.
It Was Now Or Never
Sound Asleep
She retrieved one of the swabs from the drawer in her nightstand and softly sat up. She opened it fast and quietly as she could. David continued to snore, much to Emily’s relief, which was perfect since he was already on his back with his mouth wide.
Sound Asleep
It Was A Success
She swiftly sucked some saliva from his cheek and then quickly completed the remainder of the directions, storing the DNA sample in a secure place. She next entered Sophie’s room. She was fortunately fast asleep as well, allowing Emily to quickly grab the sample without Sophie knowing. Emily was simultaneously relieved and worried.
It Was A Success
Feeling Anxious
She was happy that everything had gone according to plan and that she had managed to collect both DNA samples without alerting David or Sophie. She was worried about what the test results would reveal, though. Would they match? She was eager to learn…
Feeling Anxious
Sending The Samples
Emily delivered the samples to the hospital the following day. Within about a week, the doctor assured her, he will have the results. He had vowed to remain discreet once she had told him everything. Currently, all she could do was wait.
Sending The Samples
A Secret She Can’t Share
The following week was challenging for Emily. Her secret began to weigh heavily on her as she grew weary of maintaining the façade that everything was good. She didn’t want to discuss it with anyone, not even her parents or her closest friends because she needed to be certain that no one else would learn about it, and the only person she could trust with that was herself.
A Secret She Can’t Share
Feeling Guilt
Emily felt a flood of emotions rushing through her, most of which was guilt. She knew what she had done was wrong, yet it felt like the only course of action available to her at the time. After taking a surreptitious DNA sample from both her husband and daughter without their knowledge, she couldn’t help but feel like she had crossed a line.
Feeling Guilt
What Drove Her To Do It
Emily didn’t fully trust her husband anymore. After several years of marriage they had grown apart, and his behavior had been increasingly strange as of late. She knows what she did was wrong, but she couldn’t help but do what she did as it was the only thing that could ease her mind.
What Drove Her To Do It
Testing the DNA Samples
Once the doctor received the samples of DNA from both the father and daughter, it was time to start testing. There were a few steps that needed to be completed in order for the doctor to determine if they had a match. Nonetheless, the doctor went straight to work and got the job done.
Testing the DNA Samples
A Look At The Samples
The first step was to look at the samples under a microscope and examine their chromosomes. The doctor was looking for any signs of abnormalities, since that could possibly indicate a shared parentage between the two individuals. After examining the samples, it did appear as if there were some similarities, but it wasn’t enough to definitively confirm they were related
A Look At The Samples
The Results Remain Unseen
The doctor was finally finished conducting the DNA test, But for some reason, the doctor’s face became more serious than before and he refused to say anything further. The doctor knew it was time to call Emily regarding the results.
The Results Remain Unseen
No Difference
Nothing had changed since then. The majority of her time was still spent with David, and Sophie insisted on going to see his family frequently. The attempts Emily made to connect with her were unsuccessful.
No Difference
Full of doubts
Emily decided to quit blaming herself because she had done everything in her power to establish a relationship with Sophie, even though she felt more like a distant relative than a mother. This really lower her self-esteem and created more doubts in her head.
Full of doubts
Growing Distant
Since Sophie joined the family, David and Emily’s relationship had already deteriorated, but things had gotten worse. David accompanied Sophie to his parents’ home virtually every day even though he was seldom ever home since Sophie was constantly wanting to visit her Nana and Papa. It hurt Emily’s heart since she was becoming more and more sure that he was Sophie’s father.
Growing Distant
Awaiting The Results
Of course, she was unable to know for sure at this point. The worst thing was waiting for the test results, which she was currently doing. She made the decision to concentrate on her work instead of feeling so lonely, at least until she received the findings. She was unsure of what would transpire because everything depended on how the test turned out.
Awaiting The Results
The Phone Call
Emily’s phone rang one day. The hospital was calling, it was! Her chest was tightening as her heart raced. It must be the doctor phoning with the DNA test update. Was he going to tell her anything? She took a few deep breaths before picking up the phone because she knew that this call had the power to alter her life. However, she didn’t anticipate hearing this next.
The Phone Call
Discussing The Result
“Good day, Emily. The secretary for Dr. Matthews had called to request that Emily visit the hospital. The secretary was able to schedule her for a same-day appointment because the doctor wanted to speak with her face-to-face about the test results. This could only imply bad news, thought Emily, who was shocked.
Discussing The Result
Awaiting The Doctor
In the waiting area, Emily sat by herself and thought. She thought she was losing her mind. She hoped Dr. Matthews would call her in soon since she was quite anxious. When the door to the office opened, she picked up a random magazine from the table and started flipping through the pages lazily.
Awaiting The Doctor
Inside The Office
“Hi, Emily. Good to see you, please come on in,” Dr. Matthews said. She entered his office after standing up on wobbly knees. She observed the doctor’s worried expression as she sat down. She ran out of patience. Was he going to tell her anything?
Inside The Office
The Truth Comes Forward
She observed Dr. Matthews looking for the appropriate words. Emily begged him, “Just say it. I want to know!” The doctor nodded while he moaned. He placed a folder on the table in front of Emily after pulling one out of his drawers. This was the decisive time…
The Truth Comes Forward