The secret mother: A story of love from two mothers

Maggie always believed she knew her quiet life in the suburbs, with her adoptive parents and her kind neighbor Rebecca, who had always been like a second mother to her.

Rebecca never married or had children, but she was always present during the important moments of Maggie’s life, like birthdays, graduations, and significant milestones.

However, Maggie’s life turns upside down when, after receiving the news that Rebecca has terminal cancer, she receives an urgent request from her neighbor to visit.

When Maggie arrives at Rebecca’s house, she finds her fragile neighbor in bed and, at her request, opens a small wooden box kept in the drawer next to her bed. Inside the box, Maggie finds an old black-and-white photo of a young pregnant woman, with Rebecca’s eyes and smile.

Next to the photo is a hospital bracelet with Maggie’s name and birth date. In shock, Maggie asks Rebecca what it meant.

Rebecca, with a trembling voice, reveals that Maggie is her biological daughter. She explains that when she was pregnant and alone, she made the difficult decision to put her daughter up for adoption because she couldn’t provide the life she deserved.

Rebecca then proposed to Maggie’s parents, who couldn’t have children, that they adopt her. She only asked to stay close by, observing and caring for Maggie as a neighbor, without interfering in her life, but loving her from afar.

Rebecca, emotionally, tells Maggie that she loved her from the moment she held her for the first time, and that, even without ever revealing the truth, she closely followed her life, witnessing all of her important milestones.

She expresses the wish that Maggie knew the truth before it was too late so that she could understand the unconditional love that always surrounded her.

With tears in her eyes, Maggie finally understands the depth of Rebecca’s love and realizes that throughout her life, she had two mothers: the one who raised her and the one who gave her life.

In the end, Rebecca passes away, leaving letters written over the years, detailing Maggie’s life through her eyes, from her first steps to moments like her first love and prom night.

Maggie, now with a heart full of gratitude, keeps the wooden box next to her bed, often looking at the photo and feeling Rebecca’s eternal love.

She finally understands that she was loved by two mothers, and that, even after her passing, Rebecca was always with her, in her heart and memories.