{"id":5792,"date":"2026-09-01T21:05:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T21:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=5792"},"modified":"2026-09-01T21:05:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T21:05:21","slug":"part-3-i-got-pregnant-in-tenth-grade-mom-walked-me-into-school-like-a-guilty-defendant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=5792","title":{"rendered":"PART 3 \u2013 I got pregnant in tenth grade. Mom walked me into school like a guilty defendant."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
PART 3 \u2014 THE SON THEY STOLE FROM MY MOTHER<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Nobody moved.
\nMy mother\u2019s finger was still pointing at Matthew.
\nMatthew looked at her as if she had just accused him of murder.
\nMrs. Rivas looked worse.
\nShe looked like someone watching a locked door finally swing open.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Matthew whispered.
\nMy mother\u2019s hand dropped.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou just pointed at me.\u201d
\n\u201cI said I think I know where my son has been.\u201d
\nMatthew stood so quickly his chair tipped backward.
\n\u201cYou think I\u2019m your son?\u201d
\nMrs. Rivas rushed toward him.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMatthew, we\u2019re leaving.\u201d
\nHe pulled away from her.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cNow.\u201d
\n\u201cNo!\u201d
\nHis shout echoed through the office.
\nHe turned toward his mother.
\n\u201cAm I adopted?\u201d
\nRebecca Rivas said nothing.
\nMatthew\u2019s breathing became ragged.
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t listen to these people.\u201d
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t my question.\u201d
\nShe reached for him again.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

He stepped back.
\n\u201cAm I adopted?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nThe answer came too quickly.
\nSofia laughed bitterly.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s interesting.\u201d
\nRebecca spun toward her.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t say he wasn\u2019t Maria\u2019s son.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nMy stomach tightened.
\nMatthew looked at his mother.
\n\u201cSay it.\u201d
\nRebecca\u2019s lips parted.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nothing came out.
\nMatthew\u2019s face began to crumble.
\n\u201cTell me she\u2019s not my biological mother.\u201d
\nRebecca closed her eyes.
\nAnd that was enough.
\nMatthew stumbled backward.
\n\u201cOh my God.\u201d
\nMy father caught the edge of the desk as if he needed it to stay upright.
\nI looked at Matthew.
\nAt the boy who had kissed me behind the gym.
\nThe boy whose child I was carrying.
\nThe boy my mother had just suggested could be her long-lost son.
\nMy vision blurred.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d
\nEveryone looked at me.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI pressed both hands against my stomach.
\n\u201cNo, no, no.\u201d
\nMy mother rushed toward me.
\n\u201cValerie\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t touch me!\u201d
\nShe froze.
\n\u201cTell me right now.\u201d
\n\u201cSweetheart\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cRIGHT NOW!\u201d
\nMy voice cracked.
\n\u201cIs Matthew your son?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou pointed at him!\u201d
\n\u201cBecause of the timing.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat timing?\u201d
\nMy mother stared at Rebecca.
\nRebecca stared at the floor.
\nMom swallowed.
\n\u201cI gave birth eighteen years ago.\u201d
\nMatthew shook his head.
\n\u201cI\u2019m seventeen.\u201d
\nMy mother nodded slowly.
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nHope flashed through me so fast it hurt.
\n\u201cSo he can\u2019t be your son.\u201d
\nMy mother hesitated.
\nAnd the hope died.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d I whispered.
\nShe looked at Matthew.
\n\u201cWhen is your birthday?\u201d
\n\u201cOctober twenty-sixth.\u201d
\nMy mother sat down.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMatthew\u2019s face tightened.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI gave birth on October twenty-sixth.\u201d
\nNobody breathed.
\nMy father whispered:
\n\u201cMaria.\u201d
\nMy mother covered her mouth.
\n\u201cI was sixteen.\u201d
\nI felt like I was falling through the floor.
\nMatthew turned toward Rebecca.
\n\u201cYou told me I was born at St. Matthew\u2019s.\u201d
\n\u201cYou were.\u201d
\n\u201cWas she there?\u201d
\nRebecca\u2019s jaw clenched.
\n\u201cMatthew, this is not the place.\u201d
\nHe grabbed the old birth certificate from the desk.
\n\u201cWas Maria there?\u201d
\nRebecca did not answer.
\nHe slammed the paper down.
\n\u201cANSWER ME!\u201d
\n\u201cYes!\u201d
\nThe room went silent.
\nMatthew stared at her.
\nRebecca looked as if the word had escaped against her will.
\n\u201cYes,\u201d she repeated quietly.
\n\u201cMaria was at St. Matthew\u2019s.\u201d
\nMy mother began crying.
\nMatthew whispered:
\n\u201cOn the day I was born?\u201d
\nRebecca looked away.
\nSofia stepped closer to the desk.
\n\u201cWhat name was on Matthew\u2019s original birth certificate?\u201d
\nRebecca said nothing.
\nSofia\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\n\u201cThere was an original certificate, wasn\u2019t there?\u201d
\nThe principal looked stunned.
\nMy father\u2019s voice turned cold.
\n\u201cMrs. Rivas, I suggest you start speaking before the police arrive.\u201d
\nRebecca laughed.
\nIt was not a happy sound.
\n\u201cYou people think you understand anything because you found a few photographs.\u201d
\n\u201cThen explain it,\u201d I said.
\nShe looked at me.
\nI hated that woman.
\nBut in that moment, I needed her more than I had ever needed anyone.
\n\u201cPlease.\u201d
\nMy voice broke.
\n\u201cIf there is even a chance Matthew is my mother\u2019s son, tell me.\u201d
\nRebecca stared at my stomach.
\nThen she whispered:
\n\u201cHe isn\u2019t.\u201d
\nMy knees weakened.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHe is not Maria\u2019s son.\u201d
\nMatthew stepped forward.
\n\u201cThen why did you lie?\u201d
\nRebecca looked at him.
\nAnd something changed in her face.
\nFor the first time, she did not look controlling.
\nShe looked ashamed.
\n\u201cBecause you were adopted.\u201d
\nMatthew shut his eyes.
\nMy father exhaled.
\nMy mother grabbed my hand.
\nThis time I let her.
\nI nearly collapsed against her.
\nBut Matthew did not look relieved.
\n\u201cWho are my parents?\u201d
\nRebecca shook her head.
\n\u201cNot now.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve lied to me my entire life.\u201d
\n\u201cI raised you.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s not what I asked.\u201d
\n\u201cYou are my son.\u201d
\n\u201cWho gave birth to me?\u201d
\nRebecca\u2019s eyes filled.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nSofia scoffed.
\n\u201cYou expect anyone to believe that?\u201d
\n\u201cIt was a private adoption.\u201d
\n\u201cThrough what agency?\u201d
\nRebecca said nothing.
\n\u201cWhich attorney?\u201d
\nNothing.
\nMatthew whispered:
\n\u201cYou bought me.\u201d
\nRebecca slapped him.
\nThe sound cracked through the room.
\nEveryone froze.
\nRebecca stared at her own hand.
\nMatthew slowly turned his face back toward her.
\nThere was a red mark across his cheek.
\nHe did not cry.
\nHe just said:
\n\u201cThat answered more than you think.\u201d
\nThe principal stepped between them.
\n\u201cYou will not touch a student again.\u201d
\nRebecca backed away.
\nMatthew looked at me.
\nI could not tell if he wanted forgiveness, comfort, or simply proof that someone in the room was still real.
\nThen sirens sounded outside.
\nPolice.
\nRebecca\u2019s expression changed instantly.
\nSofia grabbed the journal.
\nMy father looked through the window.
\n\u201cTwo cruisers.\u201d
\nMy phone vibrated.
\nAnother message.
\nYOU WERE WARNED.<\/strong>
\nThen another photograph appeared.
\nAunt Patricia.
\nStill tied to the chair.
\nBut now there was blood running down the side of her face.
\nMy mother screamed.
\nUnder the photograph was a countdown timer.
\n29:59<\/strong>
\n29:58<\/strong>
\n29:57<\/strong>
\nAnd a message:
\nPolice entered the school. Patricia loses one finger when the timer reaches zero.<\/strong>
\nMy mother grabbed my arm.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nDad looked at the principal.
\n\u201cTell the officers not to come inside.\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re already here.\u201d
\n\u201cThen call them!\u201d
\nThe principal reached for the phone.
\nSofia shook her head.
\n\u201cNo. That\u2019s what he wants.\u201d
\nMy father turned.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHe wants us panicked.\u201d
\n\u201cMy sister-in-law is tied to a chair!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd if we start obeying every message, he controls everything.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s easy for you to say.\u201d
\n\u201cNo,\u201d Sofia whispered. \u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d
\nShe pulled up her sleeve.
\nThere were pale scars along her wrist.
\n\u201cMy family spent eighteen years obeying the Rivas family because we were afraid of what they would do next.\u201d
\nShe looked at my father.
\n\u201cIt never saved anyone.\u201d
\nMy phone vibrated again.
\nTHE JOURNAL. 614 BELLFLOWER ROAD. VALERIE BRINGS IT. ALONE.<\/strong>
\nDad immediately said:
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMom said:
\n\u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d
\nI stared at the countdown.
\nTwenty-eight minutes.
\nAunt Patricia was bleeding because of secrets nobody had bothered to tell me.
\nI looked at Sofia.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s in the journal that they\u2019re so afraid of?\u201d
\nShe hesitated.
\n\u201cMost of it is Elena writing about Jonathan.\u201d
\n\u201cMost?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat else?\u201d
\nSofia opened the journal.
\nShe flipped toward the back.
\nSeveral pages had been torn out.
\n\u201cPatricia told me those pages were missing when she found it.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why does he want the journal?\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe he thinks they\u2019re still inside.\u201d
\n\u201cOr maybe there\u2019s something you missed.\u201d
\nSofia looked at me.
\nI held out my hand.
\n\u201cGive it to me.\u201d
\nMy father stepped forward.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cDad.\u201d
\n\u201cYou are fifteen years old and pregnant. You are not going anywhere near that address.\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t say I was going.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why do you need the journal?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause everyone keeps lying to me.\u201d
\nNo one answered.
\nI looked at my mother.
\n\u201cYou hid a pregnancy.\u201d
\nShe flinched.
\nI looked at Rebecca.
\n\u201cYou hid an adoption.\u201d
\nThen Matthew.
\n\u201cYou denied our baby.\u201d
\nHe lowered his eyes.
\nThen Sofia.
\n\u201cAnd you knew my aunt was investigating this for months and said nothing.\u201d
\nSofia\u2019s mouth tightened.
\n\u201cI was trying to protect\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cStop saying protect.\u201d
\nMy voice shook.
\n\u201cEverybody in this room keeps using that word right before admitting they hid something.\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cGive me the journal.\u201d
\nSofia handed it over.
\nI sat at the principal\u2019s desk.
\nThe journal smelled old.
\nDust.
\nPaper.
\nTime.
\nElena\u2019s handwriting changed as the entries progressed.
\nAt first, it was rounded and playful.
\nThen smaller.
\nTighter.
\nAfraid.
\nI skimmed dates.
\nJonathan brought me flowers.
\nRebecca saw us.
\nJonathan says his father will never accept me.
\nPatricia says I should tell my mother.
\nJonathan wants to leave town.
\nThen I found an entry circled in red.
\nOctober 19.<\/strong>
\nI read aloud.
\n\u201cJonathan says his father knows about Maria now.\u201d
\nMy mother gasped.
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\nShe shook her head.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI kept reading.
\n\u201cHe says his father is furious because one Rojas girl was already a problem, and now there are two.\u201d
\nMy mother sat down.
\nMy father stared at her.
\nI continued.
\n\u201cMaria won\u2019t tell Patricia who the father is. But I know. I saw them together.\u201d
\nMy throat tightened.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nMy mother whispered:
\n\u201cStop.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cValerie, please.\u201d
\n\u201cNo more secrets.\u201d
\nI continued.
\n\u201cMaria thinks Jonathan loves her.\u201d
\nMatthew looked toward Rebecca.
\nRebecca\u2019s face hardened.
\n\u201cBut he told me she was a mistake.\u201d
\nMom made a broken sound.
\nMy father closed his eyes.
\nI could barely continue.
\n\u201cJonathan says his father has a plan for Maria\u2019s baby.\u201d
\nThe entry ended there.
\nThe next page had been torn out.
\nMy mother stood suddenly.
\n\u201cI need air.\u201d
\nDad blocked her.
\n\u201cYou need to tell us what happened.\u201d
\n\u201cI was sixteen.\u201d
\n\u201cSo was Elena.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou had Jonathan Rivas\u2019s child?\u201d
\nMom nodded.
\nDad\u2019s face shattered.
\nHe whispered:
\n\u201cAnd you never told me.\u201d
\n\u201cWe met years later.\u201d
\n\u201cThat isn\u2019t the point.\u201d
\n\u201cI was terrified.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened to the baby?\u201d
\nMom covered her mouth.
\n\u201cThey told me he died.\u201d
\nThe room went silent.
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI went into labor early.\u201d
\nShe was crying openly now.
\n\u201cMy mother wasn\u2019t there. Patricia was with Elena. I was alone except for a nurse.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat hospital?\u201d
\n\u201cSt. Matthew\u2019s.\u201d
\nMatthew turned pale again.
\nMom continued.
\n\u201cI remember waking up after they gave me something. A doctor came in and told me the baby hadn\u2019t survived.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you see him?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you hold him?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cDid you get a death certificate?\u201d
\n\u201cI was sixteen, Valerie!\u201d
\nHer scream broke.
\n\u201cI was sixteen and terrified and ashamed and my own father had threatened to throw me out if anybody found out.\u201d
\nDad softened slightly.
\nMom sank into the chair.
\n\u201cThey said everything had been handled.\u201d
\nSofia whispered:
\n\u201cBy whom?\u201d
\nMom looked toward Rebecca.
\n\u201cHer father.\u201d
\nRebecca shook her head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cMy mother told me Mr. Rivas paid the hospital expenses.\u201d
\n\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cHe made me sign papers.\u201d
\nRebecca stopped.
\n\u201cWhat papers?\u201d Sofia asked.
\nMom rubbed her forehead.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. Consent forms. Hospital papers. I was drugged.\u201d
\nMy father\u2019s face darkened.
\n\u201cYou signed away your child.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMom shook her head violently.
\n\u201cI would remember that.\u201d
\n\u201cWould you?\u201d
\nThe question came from Matthew.
\nMom stared at him.
\nHe looked broken.
\n\u201cWould you remember if they told you he was dead first?\u201d
\nNo one answered.
\nMy heart started pounding again.
\n\u201cWhat if her baby didn\u2019t die?\u201d
\nSofia nodded slowly.
\n\u201cThat is exactly what Patricia began to suspect.\u201d
\nMom looked at her.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThree months ago, Patricia called me after finding hospital records in your mother\u2019s attic.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat records?\u201d
\n\u201cA discharge form.\u201d
\nSofia opened her folder and searched through several papers.
\nThen she placed one on the desk.
\nPatient: Maria Rojas.
\nDischarge date: October 29.
\nInfant status:
\nTRANSFERRED.<\/strong>
\nNot deceased.
\nTransferred.
\nMy mother stared at the paper.
\nHer lips moved without sound.
\nDad whispered:
\n\u201cYour son lived.\u201d
\nMom collapsed.
\nI caught her before she hit the floor.
\nShe clung to me.
\n\u201cThey told me he died.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cThey told me my baby died.\u201d
\nI held her as she sobbed.
\nFor the first time that day, I stopped seeing my mother as the woman who had kept a terrible secret.
\nI saw a sixteen-year-old girl.
\nScared.
\nDrugged.
\nAlone.
\nAnd robbed.
\nMatthew stared at the transfer form.
\n\u201cWhere was he transferred?\u201d
\nSofia shook her head.
\n\u201cThe destination field was altered.\u201d
\nRebecca looked toward the door.
\nMy father noticed.
\n\u201cYou know.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cYou know exactly where that baby went.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d
\nMatthew stepped closer to her.
\n\u201cYou knew Maria was in the hospital the day I was born.\u201d
\nRebecca said nothing.
\n\u201cYou knew I was adopted.\u201d
\nNothing.
\n\u201cAnd your father handled Maria\u2019s medical bills.\u201d
\n\u201cMatthew\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cWHO AM I?\u201d
\nRebecca began crying.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know!\u201d
\nHe laughed bitterly.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s the only answer you ever have.\u201d
\n\u201cI was seventeen!\u201d
\nEveryone stopped.
\nRebecca covered her mouth.
\nSofia narrowed her eyes.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nRebecca slowly lowered her hand.
\n\u201cMy father arranged everything.\u201d
\n\u201cEverything meaning Matthew?\u201d
\nRebecca nodded.
\n\u201cHe brought a baby home.\u201d
\nMatthew\u2019s face went blank.
\n\u201cHe told my mother that one of his employees had a daughter who couldn\u2019t keep her child.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat date?\u201d
\nRebecca closed her eyes.
\n\u201cOctober twenty-seventh.\u201d
\nMy mother stopped sobbing.
\nOne day after she gave birth.
\nMatthew whispered:
\n\u201cAnd you never questioned it?\u201d
\n\u201cMy mother couldn\u2019t have more children.\u201d
\n\u201cThat doesn\u2019t answer me.\u201d
\n\u201cI was a teenager.\u201d
\n\u201cYou were old enough to remember.\u201d
\n\u201cI remember.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nRebecca stared at my mother.
\n\u201cThe baby had a blue blanket.\u201d
\nMom gasped.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMy father looked at her.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe nurse wrapped my son in blue.\u201d
\nMatthew stepped backward.
\nHis face had turned gray.
\nI could barely breathe.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nSofia grabbed the transfer record.
\n\u201cThis still doesn\u2019t prove anything.\u201d
\nMatthew looked at me.
\nWe both understood what was at stake.
\nIf he was my mother\u2019s biological son\u2026
\nThen he was my half-brother.
\nAnd the baby inside me\u2014
\nI bent over.
\nMy stomach turned violently.
\nDad rushed toward me.
\n\u201cValerie.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m going to be sick.\u201d
\nThe principal opened a cabinet and handed me a wastebasket.
\nI gagged but nothing came up.
\nMatthew moved toward me.
\nMy father pushed him back.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d
\nMatthew froze.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cStay away from her.\u201d
\n\u201cI DIDN\u2019T KNOW!\u201d
\nHe punched the wall.
\nThe principal screamed.
\nBlood appeared across his knuckles.
\nRebecca rushed to him.
\nHe shoved her away.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t touch me.\u201d
\nMy phone vibrated again.
\nThe timer showed nineteen minutes.
\nA new text appeared.
\nStill confused about the family tree? Ask Rebecca what happened on October 27.<\/strong>
\nEveryone looked at her.
\nRebecca\u2019s face changed.
\nSofia stepped closer.
\n\u201cWhat happened October twenty-seventh?\u201d
\nRebecca whispered:
\n\u201cMy father brought the baby home.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat else?\u201d
\nNothing.
\nMatthew grabbed her shoulders.
\n\u201cWhat else?\u201d
\nShe looked into his eyes.
\nAnd started crying.
\n\u201cHe brought two babies.\u201d
\nThe room went completely silent.
\nMatthew let go of her.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cTwo boys.\u201d
\nMy mother stood.
\n\u201cTwo?\u201d
\nRebecca nodded.
\n\u201cOne was supposed to go to my parents.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd the other?\u201d Sofia asked.
\n\u201cMy father said the other child belonged to someone who owed him money.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re lying.\u201d
\n\u201cI swear.\u201d
\n\u201cWere they twins?\u201d I asked.
\nRebecca shook her head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nRelief nearly knocked me over.
\nMatthew was not automatically my mother\u2019s child.
\nRebecca continued.
\n\u201cThey came from different mothers.\u201d
\nSofia placed both hands on the desk.
\n\u201cWas one Elena\u2019s baby?\u201d
\nRebecca looked at her.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nSofia\u2019s knees buckled.
\nThe security officer caught her.
\n\u201cMy nephew.\u201d
\nTears filled her eyes.
\n\u201cMy nephew was alive.\u201d
\nRebecca nodded.
\n\u201cAt least that night.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd the other was Maria\u2019s?\u201d
\n\u201cI think so.\u201d
\nMy mother sobbed.
\n\u201cWhich baby became Matthew?\u201d
\nRebecca shook her head.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nMatthew stared at her.
\n\u201cHow can you not know?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause my father switched the bracelets.\u201d
\nEveryone froze.
\nMy hand instinctively covered my stomach.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nRebecca looked at the yellow hospital bracelet on the table.
\n\u201cElena\u2019s baby had a bracelet.\u201d
\nSofia grabbed it.
\n\u201cThis one?\u201d
\nRebecca nodded.
\n\u201cMy father removed it.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cSo there would be no way to identify which child belonged to which mother.\u201d
\nMatthew whispered:
\n\u201cYou raised one of them.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd the other?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cStop saying that!\u201d
\n\u201cMy father took him away!\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cI never knew!\u201d
\nMatthew turned away.
\nThen stopped.
\n\u201cDo I have a scar?\u201d
\nRebecca froze.
\nHe looked at her.
\n\u201cA birthmark? Something from when I was a baby?\u201d
\nRebecca whispered:
\n\u201cYou had a small mark behind your left ear.\u201d
\nMatthew touched behind his ear.
\nSofia suddenly gasped.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe rushed toward the journal.
\n\u201cElena wrote about the ultrasound.\u201d
\n\u201cThat doesn\u2019t show birthmarks.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nShe flipped through pages.
\n\u201cShe wrote after the birth.\u201d
\n\u201cHow?\u201d
\n\u201cPatricia must have brought her the journal.\u201d
\nSofia found an entry written shakily in pencil.
\n\u201cMy baby has a little crescent-shaped mark beneath his right shoulder.\u201d
\nEveryone looked at Matthew.
\nHe stared at us.
\nThen slowly unbuttoned the top of his uniform shirt.
\nHe pulled the fabric aside from his right shoulder.
\nNothing.
\nNo mark.
\nSofia began crying.
\nMatthew looked at my mother.
\n\u201cIf Elena\u2019s baby had a mark and I don\u2019t\u2026\u201d
\nMy mother whispered:
\n\u201cYou could be mine.\u201d
\nMy father closed his eyes.
\nI could not breathe.
\nBut Matthew touched behind his left ear.
\n\u201cRebecca said I had one here.\u201d
\nMom suddenly stopped.
\n\u201cWhat kind?\u201d
\nRebecca swallowed.
\n\u201cA tiny dark spot shaped like a teardrop.\u201d
\nMy mother stared at Matthew.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cMy son had that.\u201d
\nI felt the world shift again.
\n\u201cHow would you know if they took him away?\u201d
\nMom\u2019s lips trembled.
\n\u201cBecause before I passed out, the nurse put him against my chest.\u201d
\nTears rolled down her face.
\n\u201cFor maybe thirty seconds.\u201d
\nShe touched behind her own ear.
\n\u201cHe had a little teardrop-shaped birthmark right here.\u201d
\nMatthew sank into the chair.
\nNo one spoke.
\nNo one needed to.
\nMy mother\u2019s missing son was sitting six feet away.
\nThe father of my baby.
\nMy brother.
\nI screamed.
\nIt came from somewhere deep inside me.
\nMy father caught me as my knees gave out.
\nMatthew covered his face.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMy mother kept repeating:
\n\u201cOh God. Oh God.\u201d
\nRebecca sobbed.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI stared at Matthew through tears.
\nEvery memory of him turned poisonous.
\nEvery kiss.
\nEvery secret message.
\nEvery time he held my hand.
\nI pressed both palms against my stomach.
\n\u201cWhat happens to my baby?\u201d
\nDad held me tighter.
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know anything for certain yet.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, we do!\u201d
\n\u201cNo. A birthmark is not a DNA test.\u201d
\nSofia nodded.
\n\u201cYour father is right.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cWe need DNA testing immediately.\u201d
\nMatthew stood.
\n\u201cDo it.\u201d
\nRebecca shook her head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nEveryone looked at her.
\nMatthew\u2019s face hardened.
\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause\u2026\u201d
\nShe stopped.
\nSofia stepped forward.
\n\u201cBecause what?\u201d
\nRebecca looked terrified.
\n\u201cBecause there\u2019s something else.\u201d
\nMy father muttered:
\n\u201cOf course there is.\u201d
\nRebecca gripped the back of a chair.
\n\u201cMy father never told me which baby we kept.\u201d
\n\u201cWe figured that out,\u201d Matthew said.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nShe shook her head.
\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d
\n\u201cThe baby we brought home on October twenty-seventh was not the baby who became Matthew.\u201d
\nSilence.
\nMatthew blinked.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nRebecca began trembling.
\n\u201cThree weeks later, that baby disappeared.\u201d
\nMy mother screamed:
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cMy father came to our house in the middle of the night.\u201d
\nRebecca\u2019s voice shook.
\n\u201cHe took the baby.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nMatthew stepped closer.
\n\u201cThen where did I come from?\u201d
\nRebecca looked at him.
\n\u201cMy father returned the next morning.\u201d
\n\u201cWith me?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you thought I was the same baby?\u201d
\n\u201cMy parents did.\u201d
\n\u201cBut you didn\u2019t.\u201d
\nRebecca shook her head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cHow did you know?\u201d
\n\u201cThe birthmark.\u201d
\nMatthew touched behind his ear.
\nRebecca whispered:
\n\u201cThe first baby didn\u2019t have one.\u201d
\nMy mother stared at her.
\n\u201cSo Matthew might not be my son.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cHe might not be Elena\u2019s either.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMatthew looked as though he might collapse.
\n\u201cThen who am I?\u201d
\nRebecca started crying harder.
\n\u201cMy father told me never to ask.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you obeyed him for seventeen years?\u201d
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t know my father.\u201d
\nSofia whispered:
\n\u201cI think we\u2019re finally about to.\u201d
\nMy phone vibrated.
\nThe timer showed eleven minutes.
\nAnother photograph appeared.
\nThis time Patricia was not alone.
\nAn elderly man stood beside her.
\nSilver hair.
\nDark suit.
\nGold ring.
\nAnd a smile that made my skin crawl.
\nRebecca whispered:
\n\u201cDad.\u201d
\nVictor Rivas.
\nA man everyone outside his immediate family apparently believed had died eleven years ago.
\nUnderneath the photo:
\nTEN MINUTES.<\/strong>
\nThen another message.
\nBring the journal and Maria. Valerie stays behind.<\/strong>
\nI stared at it.
\n\u201cHe changed his mind.\u201d
\nSofia shook her head.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHe never wanted you.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why tell me to come alone?\u201d
\n\u201cTo scare Maria.\u201d
\nMy mother looked at her.
\nSofia pointed at the old journal.
\n\u201cThis is about Maria\u2019s baby.\u201d
\nMatthew\u2019s voice cracked.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nSofia stared at Victor\u2019s photograph.
\n\u201cBecause if Matthew isn\u2019t the child they stole from Maria\u2026\u201d
\nShe stopped.
\nMy father finished:
\n\u201cThen Maria\u2019s son is still out there.\u201d
\nMy phone vibrated.
\nA video began playing automatically.
\nVictor Rivas appeared on-screen.
\nBehind him, Patricia was tied to the chair.
\nHe smiled directly into the camera.
\n\u201cHello, Maria.\u201d
\nMy mother made a sound somewhere between a sob and a gasp.
\nVictor continued.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve spent eighteen years grieving the wrong thing.\u201d
\nMy mother grabbed the desk.
\n\u201cYou were told your son died.\u201d
\nHe smiled.
\n\u201cHe didn\u2019t.\u201d
\nMatthew stared at the screen.
\nVictor leaned closer.
\n\u201cAnd Matthew isn\u2019t him.\u201d
\nMy knees nearly gave out from relief.
\nFor one second, I could breathe again.
\nMatthew was not my brother.
\nThe baby inside me was not the result of something horrifying.
\nI started crying.
\nMatthew did too.
\nBut Victor was not finished.
\n\u201cYour son is alive, Maria.\u201d
\nMom pressed both hands to her mouth.
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d she whispered to a recording.
\nVictor smiled.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve seen him hundreds of times.\u201d
\nEveryone froze.
\n\u201cHe knows Valerie.\u201d
\nMy heart stopped.
\n\u201cHe has been inside your house.\u201d
\nMy father stepped forward.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHe ate at your table.\u201d
\nMy mother looked terrified.
\nVictor\u2019s smile widened.
\n\u201cAnd Patricia discovered his identity three months ago.\u201d
\nBehind him, Patricia shook her head violently.
\nVictor grabbed her hair.
\n\u201cShe should have left the past buried.\u201d
\nThe video cut out.
\nMy mother stumbled backward.
\n\u201cSomeone inside our house?\u201d
\nDad whispered:
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nMy mind raced.
\nNeighbors.
\nFriends.
\nTeachers.
\nRelatives.
\nPeople who had visited for birthdays.
\nPeople Aunt Patricia knew.
\nThen Sofia looked down at Elena\u2019s journal.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s one more thing.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe missing pages.\u201d
\nShe held the book toward the light.
\n\u201cThere are impressions.\u201d
\nMy father frowned.
\n\u201cWhat impressions?\u201d
\n\u201cWhen someone writes hard on a page, it leaves marks on the sheet underneath.\u201d
\nThe principal handed Sofia a pencil.
\nShe shaded lightly across the blank paper.
\nLetters slowly appeared.
\nA name.
\nMy mother stared.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMy father looked at her.
\n\u201cYou know that name?\u201d
\nShe did not answer.
\nThe letters became clearer.
\nDAVID.<\/strong>
\nBelow it:
\nMaria\u2019s son is David. He has been closer to Valerie than anyone realizes.<\/strong>
\nI stared at the page.
\nMy blood turned cold.
\nBecause I knew a David.
\nEverybody in my family knew a David.
\nDavid Rojas.
\nMy twenty-seven-year-old cousin.
\nAunt Patricia\u2019s son.
\nThe man I had called my cousin my entire life.
\nThe man who had moved away five years ago.
\nThe man who had suddenly returned three months earlier.
\nExactly when Patricia began investigating Elena.
\nMy mother whispered:
\n\u201cPatricia never gave birth to David.\u201d
\nDad turned.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cShe told everyone she did.\u201d
\nSofia\u2019s eyes widened.
\nMom began shaking.
\n\u201cBut I remember. She disappeared for months after Elena vanished. When she came back\u2026 she had a baby.\u201d
\nMy father stared at the photograph of Patricia.
\n\u201cMaria.\u201d
\nMom\u2019s face collapsed.
\n\u201cPatricia raised my son.\u201d
\nThe room erupted.
\nMatthew cursed.
\nSofia covered her mouth.
\nMy father demanded:
\n\u201cWhy would she never tell you?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know!\u201d
\nThen I remembered something.
\nSomething small.
\nSomething I had ignored.
\nDavid had visited our house two nights ago.
\nHe had walked into the kitchen while Patricia made my tea.
\nThey had argued quietly.
\nI had heard only one sentence.
\nDavid had said:
\n\u201cYou promised you would never tell her.\u201d
\nAt the time, I thought they were talking about money.
\nNow my skin went cold.
\nI pulled out my phone.
\n\u201cI need to call David.\u201d
\nMom grabbed my wrist.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cIf Victor knows who he is\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cI have to warn him.\u201d
\nI called.
\nOne ring.
\nTwo.
\nSomeone answered.
\nNo one spoke.
\n\u201cDavid?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cDavid, are you there?\u201d
\nThen I heard breathing.
\nA man whispered:
\n\u201cValerie?\u201d
\nIt was David.
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have called.\u201d
\n\u201cDavid, Aunt Patricia has been kidnapped.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nMy mother grabbed the phone.
\n\u201cDavid!\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen:
\n\u201cMaria?\u201d
\nMy mother began crying.
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\nDavid\u2019s voice broke.
\n\u201cPlease don\u2019t ask me that.\u201d
\n\u201cAre you my son?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nMom pressed the phone against her ear.
\n\u201cDavid\u2026 are you my son?\u201d
\nHe started crying.
\nMy mother collapsed into my father\u2019s arms.
\nThat was the answer.
\nBut David finally said it anyway.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMy mother screamed.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d David whispered.
\n\u201cPatricia made me promise.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Victor told her if you ever learned the truth, he would kill me.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\nDavid was breathing hard.
\n\u201cI\u2019m close.\u201d
\n\u201cTo Bellflower Road?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nMy father grabbed the phone.
\n\u201cDavid, listen to me. Do not go there alone.\u201d
\n\u201cI already did.\u201d
\nEveryone froze.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m outside the house.\u201d
\nMy father cursed.
\n\u201cLeave.\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Victor has my mother.\u201d
\nPatricia.
\nThe woman who had raised him.
\nMy mother sobbed.
\nDavid whispered:
\n\u201cAnd because there\u2019s one more person inside.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nHis breathing stopped for a second.
\nThen he said:
\n\u201cThe man who killed Jonathan Rivas.\u201d
\nRebecca gasped.
\nSofia froze.
\nMatthew whispered:
\n\u201cMy uncle was murdered?\u201d
\nDavid continued.
\n\u201cAnd Valerie\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cBefore you trust Matthew, ask him where he was last night at 7:14.\u201d
\nMatthew\u2019s face turned white.
\nThe exact time Sofia said she had last spoken to Patricia.
\nEveryone slowly turned toward him.
\nI stared at the boy I loved.
\nThe boy who had denied me.
\nThe boy who had just spent the last hour believing he might be my brother.
\n\u201cMatthew?\u201d
\nHe backed away.
\nMy heart began pounding.
\n\u201cWhere were you last night?\u201d
\nMatthew said nothing.
\n\u201cMatthew.\u201d
\nHis eyes filled with tears.
\n\u201cI can explain.\u201d
\nAnd that was when I knew whatever happened next was going to hurt even more than everything that had come before\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 4\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

CLICK HERE CONTINUE TO READ PART 4 \u2013 I got pregnant in tenth grade. Mom walked me into school like a guilty defendant.<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n