We thought the day we adopted Sam, who is three years old, would be the best day of our lives. Mark and I had been trying for years to have a child, and now we had found our little boy. We had no idea that our lives would soon take a big change.
I was unpacking Sam’s things while Mark gave him his first bath. Mark stormed out of the bathroom, his face pale and scared, all of a sudden. His words were, “We must return him!” I was shocked and didn’t understand. What could have caused that reaction?
When I walked into the bathroom, Sam was sitting in the tub and looked scared and confused. After that, I saw something that made my heart skip a beat. Sam and Mark both had the same scar on their feet. It hurt like someone punched me in the gut.
I told Mark about the scar that night. He first said it was just an accident, but I knew he was trying to hide something. He refused to take a DNA test when I asked him to. At that point, I knew I had to do something about it.
I got some DNA from Sam and sent it in for testing, along with some DNA from Mark’s toothbrush. The results proved what I already thought: Mark was Sam’s real father.
It broke my heart. Mark couldn’t have told me this secret, right? After seeing the scar, why was he so eager to give Sam back? I was hurt and lied to.
Our marriage began to fall apart when the truth came out. Mark told a meeting that he had a one-night stand, and that’s when I found out he had been lying. For Sam’s sake, I asked for and got a divorce.
I knew I had to get a divorce, even though it was hard and hurtful. I couldn’t forgive Mark for what he did because it hurt my trust. When I looked at Sam, though, I knew I had made the right choice. I would do anything to keep him safe because he was my son.
Sam has become a great young man in the years since then. Mark sometimes tries to get in touch with me, but I’ve made it clear that he’s not welcome here. I’ve learnt that choosing love isn’t always easy. I would do it all over again if it were for Sam.
