Tina struggled to feel happy for her best friend Megan, who was excitedly showing off her newly adopted son, Shawn. “He’s perfect, Meg,” she said, though her heart was heavy with grief over her own son’s death and her recent divorce.
As Megan pointed out Shawn’s features, Tina held him and felt an unexpected warmth. Then she noticed a distinctive birthmark on the baby—exactly like the one her late son, Liam, had. Overcome with emotion, Tina began to sob.
“Are you okay?” Megan asked, concern etched on her face.
“No,” Tina whispered.
Megan tried to comfort her, suggesting they should’ve waited longer for this meeting. But Tina was lost in thought. Could Shawn really be her Liam?
“I need some air,” she said abruptly, handing Shawn back and rushing outside. At home, she opened Liam’s baby book. The birthmark matched Shawn’s perfectly, intensifying her desperation. Determined, she hired a private investigator, Detective Harris. “I need to know if my son is still alive,” she said, her voice trembling. Harris agreed to take the case but warned her to keep it discreet.
The next day, in a café, Tina tried to appear composed as she met Megan. “I’m so sorry about pushing you to meet Shawn,” Megan began.
“It’s fine,” Tina replied, masking her true feelings. “Tell me about the adoption.”
Megan hesitated, sharing only fragments about the process. When Tina pressed for details, Megan mentioned it was a private adoption through an agency, but she refused to divulge more.
Frustrated, Tina finally said, “I think Shawn might be my son,” showing Megan a photo of Liam with the same birthmark.
“It’s just a birthmark, Tina. Thousands of people have them,” Megan argued, her voice lowering.
Tina’s desperation escalated. “It’s not just grief! I know he’s my son!”
Megan’s expression hardened. “Shawn is my son. I adopted him legally.”
Tina reached for Megan’s arm, pleading. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t see it!”
“They are not the same!” Megan shouted, pulling away. “You’re out of your mind!”
The café manager intervened, sensing the escalating tension. Megan stormed out, leaving Tina alone in her frustration.
Tina tagged her ex-husband, Mark, in photos of Shawn online, desperate for confirmation. Mark told her to stop, still hurting from their past.
Detective Harris called with a lead: the adoption was facilitated by a nurse named Hayley from the hospital where Tina gave birth. “That nurse stole my baby,” Tina thought, determination igniting within her.
After consulting a lawyer, Tina learned they needed a DNA test but would face challenges getting consent. Undeterred, she left the office, feeling the urgency of her mission.
At the hospital, Tina demanded to speak with Hayley, but the receptionist informed her that Hayley no longer worked there. Frustrated, Tina left, feeling lost.
Her phone rang—Detective Harris. “Megan is packing and booking international flights. She’s trying to leave.”
Panic surged through Tina. She rushed to the airport, heart pounding.
At the terminal, she sought help from security. “My son is being taken by that woman!” she cried. But the officers were confused.
Ignoring them, she ran toward Megan. “You can’t take him! He’s mine!”
Megan looked startled. “Tina, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He’s my son. I love him,” Tina pleaded.
Megan’s resolve crumbled. “I just wanted to give him a good life,” she sobbed.
Tina softened. “He needs both of us.”
Megan’s eyes flickered with hope. “Shared custody?”
Tina nodded, but deep down, she had her own agenda.
The DNA test confirmed Shawn was indeed Tina’s biological son. As they read the results together, Megan admitted she had known, too.
“I convinced myself it was a coincidence,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Tina embraced her friend, understanding their shared devastation. They were victims of a larger deception.
With a full investigation underway, Tina asked her lawyer about shared custody papers. Together, they would create a brighter future for Shawn—one defined by love and resilience.
