I\u2019m Ingrid, and my world pretty much revolves around my daughter, Anna. I raised her by myself, putting in double shifts at a diner, where I still work, but as a manager now.\n\n\n\n
A woman working at a diner | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n
My pregnancy wasn\u2019t planned, and when it became clear that I would be raising her as a single mother, I knew one thing: she would never miss out or want for anything.\n\n\n\n
I succeeded at that, but I did even more. Anna and I formed a bond even closer than some mothers and daughters. I like to think of us as Lorelai and Rory from \u201cGilmore Girls,\u201d although there was never really \u201cman drama.\u201dHer one relationship was with Jason, and I loved him. He was caring, sweet, and funny. Soon, they got married and moved away to the city. It was 3 hours away, which wasn\u2019t the best for me, but this was her life.\n\n\n\n
At first, we talked every day, and I gushed about her exciting new adventures. But around two years later, our conversations got shorter and different.\n\n\n\n
She\u2019d sound distant, say she was \u201cbusy,\u201d and I could tell there was something she wasn\u2019t telling me. It hurt, and I kept overthinking it. Was this normal, or was I losing her?\n\n\n\n
A woman worried on her sofa | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n
Other moms may have been fine and moved on, but I couldn\u2019t take it after a while. I decided I was going to visit her and find out what was really going on.\n\n\n\n
So, two weeks ago, I got up early, baked her favorite cinnamon buns, and took a train to her city. I imagined her face lighting up when she saw me. But when I got to her apartment and knocked, what happened next was the last thing I expected.\n\n\n\n
Knocking on a door | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n
The door cracked open, and Anna peered out. Her eyes went wide, but it wasn\u2019t with happiness. She slipped out as if she were hiding something behind her and closed the door.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom? What are you doing here?\u201d she whispered, but her tone was almost\u2026 mad?\n\n\n\n I held up the basket of buns and smiled. \u201cI wanted to see you! I brought your favorite buns,\u201d I said with too much cheer.\n\n\n\n Her eyes darted nervously down the hallway. \u201cYou can\u2019t be here,\u201d she said, shaking her head. \u201cMom, just\u2026 go.\u201d\n\n\n\n A woman in a hallway afraid | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n My heart dropped, but I tried to stay calm. \u201cAnna, what\u2019s going on? Is Jason\u2014\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cMom, I said GO!\u201d she snapped, her voice changing from a whisper to sharp demand, and for the first time, she looked me in the eyes. I could see something there. Fear? But before I could respond, she turned and slammed the door.\n\n\n\n I stood there, frozen, clutching the basket. My daughter had just shut her door in my face. All manner of terrible things went through my mind. Was it Jason? Was their relationship not as I thought?\n\n\n\n A woman shocked in a hallway\n\n\n\n Was my daughter afraid of her husband? God, how could I have missed such a thing? Well\u2026 not anymore! I wasn\u2019t leaving, but I knew knocking again would be fruitless.\n\n\n\n So, I moved away from her door and tucked myself around the corner of the hallway, out of sight.\n\n\n\n Hours passed, and I couldn\u2019t think of anything but what my daughter might be going through at the hands of her husband. Why hadn\u2019t she said anything? She had been so afraid to even open the door.\n\n\n\n A woman trying to hide in a hallway | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n Wait, was he inside, or was he out? Not knowing was torture. After what felt like an eternity, her door finally creaked open, and I shrank back into my little corner.\n\n\n\n Anna stepped out, looking around nervously like before. I could see that her face was much paler. Her eyes were red and puffy like she\u2019d been crying. My stomach churned.\n\n\n\n She called the elevator, and once it closed, I rushed to her apartment. I didn\u2019t know what I was planning, but lucky for me, my daughter had left her front door unlocked. I slipped inside quickly.\n\n\n\n A closed elevator | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n If Jason was there, I would give him a piece of my mind, and I took my phone out of my pocket, just in case I needed to call 911 urgently. But I took a look at Anna\u2019s apartment and wrinkled my nose.\n\n\n\n The place was a disaster. Clothes were scattered everywhere. Dishes were piled up in the sink and on almost every surface. But some of those dishes and clothes gave me pause. They were small. I frowned, walking further inside, and suddenly, I stopped in my tracks.\n\n\n\n There was a crib in the living room.\n\n\n\n A crib in a cluttered living room | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n I wanted to move, but my feet wouldn\u2019t listen to me. My daughter had a baby and never told me about it! I felt like dying. I blinked furiously as if this were some kind of dream.\n\n\n\n Before I could do anything else, I heard footsteps behind me. I barely had time to turn before Anna walked back in. She froze by the door after seeing me, but after a moment, her shoulders sagged, resigned.\n\n\n\n \u201cMom\u2026\u201d she whispered thickly.\n\n\n\n A woman looking ashamed | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n \u201cAnna\u2026 you have a baby?\u201d I managed to get out. If I spoke any louder, my emotions would pour out, and I would go into a full-blown scene.\n\n\n\n She looked down, and I could see the shame creeping over her. She nodded slowly. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to tell you.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cTell me you\u2019d become a mother, which is the single most important thing you can do with your life?\u201d I asked, dangerously close to going into hysterics. Then, I glanced between her and the crib. \u201cWhere\u2019s Jason? Is he hurting you? The baby? Is that why you were afraid?\u201d\n\n\n\n A woman looking angry in a cluttered apartment | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n She let out a whoosh of breath and shook her head. \u201cHurting me? No, Mom. You\u2019ve got it all wrong,\u201d Anna began, wiping her hair from her forehead and putting down some mail.\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why she left and returned so suddenly.\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s gone. He left when I told him the baby wasn\u2019t his. I was only afraid you\u2019d found out about this.\u201d\n\n\n\n A woman looking defeated next to a table with mail | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d I asked, even more shocked, but my daughter jumped, and I lowered my voice. \u201cAnna, I\u2019m so confused. Please, tell me what happened.\u201d\n\n\n\n Her mouth twisted, and I knew that was guilt and shame. \u201cI made a terrible mistake, Mom. With my boss. I thought he would give me more than what Jason and I had, and I ruined everything.\u201d\n\n\n\n Her boss.\n\n\n\n A businessman | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay\u2026\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cI asked him to leave his wife, and he said no and laughed in my face,\u201d Anna revealed, hanging her head. \u201cHe fired me, too, and then, I found out I was pregnant.\u201d\n\n\n\n I kept quiet only because I wanted to hear the entire thing now. But each word was more shocking than the next.\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I found out I was pregnant, I thought it could be Jason\u2019s,\u201d she continued and shrugged a little. \u201cBut once the baby was born, the difference was clear.\u201d\n\n\n\n A woman shrugging | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n She pointed towards the crib, and I finally got closer. Yes, the baby was a completely different race than Jason.\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was so hurt,\u201d Anna continued, starting to sniffle. \u201cI begged him for forgiveness, but he wouldn\u2019t budge.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cAnna, you should\u2019ve told me all of this as soon as it happened,\u201d I said slowly.\n\n\n\n A woman in a clutterd apartment | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n \u201cI know, but I thought I could handle it on my own. I didn\u2019t want you to see this. You worked so hard, sacrificed so much so I could have a better life and look at me now. I ended up in a mess even worse than anything you went through. I didn\u2019t want you to feel like everything you did was for nothing.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, sweetheart,\u201d I whispered, pulling her into a hug before she could back away. \u201cListen to me. I didn\u2019t work all those long hours, skip meals, and pour everything into raising you just to have you shut me out now. I did it because I love you. And I\u2019d do it all over again, no matter where life takes you.\u201d\n\n\n\n A mom and daughter hugging | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n She finally broke down, and her tears wet my sweater. \u201cI thought I could fix everything on my own, that I didn\u2019t need to burden you. But it\u2019s been so hard, Mom. Every day, I\u2019ve been barely holding it together.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, Mama\u2019s here now,\u201d I assured her, smoothing back her hair. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do this alone. I\u2019m here for you. I\u2019m here for both of you.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cHer name is Stella,\u201d Anna confessed between her cries.\n\n\n\n My grandchild, Stella.\n\n\n\n A baby girl in a crib | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n After we separated, I told Anna I was staying with her for a while, and she was so thankful. I\u2019m still here, two weeks later.\n\n\n\n I didn\u2019t think my daughter would ever be a single mother, but some blessings don\u2019t seem so until hindsight. All babies are a gift.\n\n\n\n In any case, though, Anna had an advantage I didn\u2019t. She was the result of a one-night stand. Stella came from an affair, meaning a superior at a company abused his power and compromised my daughter.\n\n\n\n I was not going to let it slide. I\u2019ve already called a lawyer. I have some money saved and found her ex-boss\u2019s wife\u2019s Facebook.\n\n\n\n A determined woman on her phone | Source: Gemini\n\n\n\n I guess we do have a lot of \u201cman drama\u201d now. It\u2019s just not \u201cGilmore Girls.\u201d\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"