When my fiancé, Ryan, postponed our wedding for a work trip, I was devastated. On what should’ve been our wedding day, I saw him in town and feared betrayal. Confronting him revealed a secret that changed my life forever. I’m Sarah, and six months ago, Ryan proposed at our favorite coffee shop, a moment that felt like a dream. We planned our wedding for my birthday, a perfect mix of his practical, list-making ways and my free-spirited creativity. We were unstoppable, until a month before the wedding when Ryan’s boss scheduled a must-do business trip on our big day. “It’s only three days,” Ryan said, his eyes pleading. “This could mean a big raise, a better life for us. Please, Sarah.” Though it hurt, I agreed to delay the wedding, taking on the task of rescheduling while he prepared for the trip.
My birthday came, the day we should’ve been married, and I couldn’t face my friends’ pity. “It’s just postponed,” my friend Lily said, but I felt empty. Wandering the city with a latte, I ended up at a stylish hotel bar, seeking a moment’s escape. Then I saw Ryan at the lobby desk, in a sharp suit, talking to a staff member. My heart sank—he was supposed to be far away. I left cash for my drink and ran after him, my voice sharp. “Ryan! What are you doing here? Did you lie?” He turned, shocked. “Sarah, it’s not like that. Follow me, I’ll explain.” Angry but desperate for answers, I trailed him to a hotel room, expecting the worst.
The room was empty, no one else inside. “Sit down,” Ryan said softly. “This is about your mom.” My mom had abandoned me at a hospital as a newborn, a pain I kept buried. Ryan sighed. “I’ve been trying to find her for years—hiring detectives, digging through records. I think she’s here, Sarah. Her name’s Ellen, and I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t certain. I wanted it to be a birthday gift if it was true.” Tears welled up. “You did this for me?” He nodded. “She’s been searching for you too.” Hours later, a knock came. A woman with warm eyes and silver hair stepped in, her gaze meeting mine. “Sarah?” she said softly. I stood, shaking. “Are you my mom?”
She nodded, crying. “We can test to be sure, but I believe it’s you.” I said, “I don’t need a test. I see it in your face.” She shared how a hospital error swapped her baby, and she only learned the truth after losing that child years later. “I’ve been looking for you ever since,” she said. I sobbed, overwhelmed, as Ryan held my hand. “You’re not alone,” he whispered. The hurt of my past mixed with new hope. Two weeks later, we wed, my mom watching with tearful pride. That day, I gained a husband and a mother, turning a painful birthday into a new beginning.
