Thomas, a renowned architect, believed his life was perfect. After all, he had accomplished everything he has ever dreamed of. He was married to his high-school sweetheart, Olivia, owned a nice house, and had a daughter, 3-month-old Emma, whom he adored.
That morning, Thomas woke up feeling more accomplished than ever — It was the day of baby Emma’s baptism.
When he looked at his sweet little girl, he knew that everything he and his wife went through to have her — the exhausting IVF treatments and long hospital stays — was all worth it.
While Thomas’ face spoke excitement, Olivia seemed distant, but he believed she was just stressed because of the upcoming ceremony.
“Is everything ready?” he asked her.
“Yes, everyone’s coming. The balloons are ready, the cake is in the kitchen… It’s going to be a lovely day,” Olivia answered, but because of some strange reason, the smile was lacking from her face.
Once at the church, family members, neighbors, and colleagues started arriving.
Emma was dressed in a lovely blue dress, matching her mom’s.
Priest James greeted everyone who had gathered to witness and celebrate baby Emma’s baptism. He took the baby in his hands, but just as he was about to start the ceremony, his hands started trembling.
“Is everything all right?” Thomas asked.
The priest looked at Thomas, and then at Olivia and the baby.
Finally, he was able to speak. “This child… She bears the Anderson birthmark,” Pasto James said. “This mark. It’s unique to the Anderson family line. My family line…”
Thomas was shocked. “Pastor James, it’s just a birthmark. Many babies have them. What are you trying to say?”
“This exact mark, in this exact place. It appears in every generation of my family,” Pastor James said.
At that moment, Olivia started crying, and Thomas knew something was terribly wrong.
He recalled that months ago, Pastor James’ brother, Andrew, returned to town. He was a counselor at the church and Olivia visited him to help her with the tough time she experienced with the fertility issues.
“No! It can’t be,” Thomas yelled and looked at his wife, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t deny that Emily could not be his daughter. She just cried, and that was it.
At that moment, Thomas’ world shattered. He left the church and somehow found himself sitting on a bench an hour away. His phone rang uncontrollably, but he couldn’t answer. He wasn’t ready to accept the truth he had just heard, that his Emma wasn’t his.
It took some time before he was able to face Olivia, the woman he loved and trusted with all his heart.
She claimed that she and Andrew had only been together once. At that point, she was at her lowest. But that didn’t change the fact that she betrayed her husband and lied to him about his daughter.
Andrew knew the truth the entire time, but once he learned Olivia was carrying his child, he left town again. He did want to meet the little one when she was born, and they met once at the nearby park, but that was it.
Eventually, Thomas was able to forgive Olivia because he cared about Emma too much. He knew that fatherhood was more than just the DNA that child carried.
But the trust was broken, and their relationship was never the same.
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