Bride's Mom Sees Groom's Birthmark and Recognizes Son She Lost 23 Years Ago — Story of the Day

In Manchester, New Hampshire, a wedding took a strange turn when the bride's mother noticed the birthmark on the groom's hand and recognized her son she'd lost 23 years ago.

"Mom! Mom! I've got a big surprise for you!" Melanie informed Mrs. Carter. They were FaceTiming each other as they did every Sunday, but Mrs. Carter had no idea she was in for the biggest shock and surprise of her life!

Suddenly, Melanie raised her hand in front of the camera and showed the beautiful ring that adorned her ring finger. "Okay, so I met this super nice guy at college, mom! And he proposed to me. We have been dating for a while, and I wanted to tell you about it, but before that, he proposed, and we are planning on getting married by the end of this year!"

"But, honey, you know..." Mrs. Carter was about to say something when she was interrupted by a voice. "Please don't hate me for that, Mrs. Carter. I really love your daughter, and I'll always keep her happy."

Suddenly, a handsome young man appeared on the screen. He seemed about Melanie's age or a year older and had a pleasant smile on his face. "Hi, Mrs. Carter. I'm Nick Arnolds. I'm sorry we planned everything like this, but please don't get mad at us."

"So you're the one who turned my daughter against me," Mrs. Carter stated firmly. "I'm sorry, Nick, but this isn't going to work. You'd better keep your distance from my daughter!"

Nick's face frowned immediately, and he looked a bit tense. Mrs. Carter and Melanie exchanged a quick glance at each other and burst out laughing. "Oh god, Nick! Mom was just kidding. She knows everything about our relationship. It was her idea to prank you."

Nick gave a faint smile and still looked worried. So Mrs. Carter consoled him. "Don't worry, Nick. I know everything. But I hope you'll introduce me to your parents soon. Or wait, are you going to prank me too and take some sort of revenge?"

Nick laughed. "Oh no, Mrs. Carter. They are eager to meet you too. Anyway, our graduation is about two weeks away. Melanie and I have been offered jobs in the same company here in Manchester, so it's just that we are super excited about everything. But I'll make sure my parents meet you as soon as possible."

"You guys got a job? Melanie, why did I not know?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. That was going to be a surprise for you. We got the results only today, and I was going to tell you, but this idiot Nick already spoiled everything for you."

"Oops! Sorry!" Nick whispered silently and then left the mother and daughter to talk alone. As Nick left, Mrs. Carter asked, "Why do I feel like I've met Nick before, honey? I mean, he appears to be too familiar to me."

"Oh, come on, mom! Where could you possibly have met him? You're just overthinking things. Anyway, I'll call you soon. I have to leave now. I love you!"

"Love you too, honey!" Mrs. Carter said and then hung up the phone. But her mind was still racing with thoughts of Nick. His voice and the way he talked to her bore a weird familiarity to her that she didn't understand completely, but it wasn't strange to her either. But then, she remembered Melanie's words.

"Perhaps Melanie is right. I'm overthinking, or maybe it's just my age." The older woman discarded her suspicions.

After that day, she chatted with Nick's parents about the wedding plans, and she also FaceTimed Nick and Melanie several times. Each time, her heart would tell her that there was something about Nick that made him so familiar to her. But the older woman had no idea her heart was correct until she arrived at the wedding venue and met Nick.

She traveled all the way from Philadelphia to Manchester, New Hampshire, to attend Melanie and Nick's wedding. She had preferred to hold the wedding in Philadelphia, but since Melanie insisted on keeping the ceremony in Manchester, the elderly woman relented.

After all, why wouldn't she? Melanie was her only child and her last remaining relative in the world. Mrs. Carter had lost her parents when she was young, as well as her grandparents and husband later in life, leaving her all alone. So Melanie meant everything to her.

"It's indeed a pleasure to meet you finally, Mrs. Carter," Nick said as he approached her. "Please come with me. Melanie is looking forward to seeing you."

As Nick led Mrs. Carter inside, her gaze was fixated on his face. Her mind was still racing with suspicions why he felt so familiar to her.

Suddenly, she tripped, but Nick hurried to her aid. "Are you all right, Mrs. Carter? You didn't get hurt, did you?" he asked. But Mrs. Carter couldn't utter a word. She froze in shock as Nick took her hand in his. He had a birthmark on his hand, which was visible when his full-sleeved shirt was slightly pulled back when he extended his hand.

"The birthmark…is that…." Mrs. Carter whispered to herself, and her eyes welled up.

"Mrs. Carter, what happened? Are you all right?" Nick inquired again, concerned by the older woman's pale face and sweating forehead, but she did not react. "Please have a seat. I'll get you some water," Nick told her.

Nick called Melanie, who was equally concerned when she saw her mother in such a state. "What happened, Nick? Why does mom look so worried?"

"I have no idea, Mel," Nick said. "We were on our way to see you when she tripped, so I helped her, and then..."

Suddenly, Mrs. Carter spoke up. "Can I please see your parents, Nick? I need to talk to them."

Nick and Melanie were both puzzled at her sudden request. But they took Mrs. Carter to Nick's parents. The older woman asked them to wait outside while she spoke to the Arnolds. "Please excuse my forwardness, Mr. and Mrs. Arnolds, but is Nick really your son?" she asked curiously.

Nick's parents were both taken aback. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" Mrs. Arnolds asked.

"See, I'm not sure how to put it, but I had a feeling from the first time I saw Nick that there was some sort of connection between us, and today, I noticed that he has the same birthmark on his hand as my son, whom I lost 23 years ago. Is Nick your adopted child?"

Mr. and Mrs. Arnolds exchanged a quick glance, stunned by Mrs. Carter's words, and Mrs. Carter noticed a strange fear in their eyes at one point. Mrs. Arnolds took a deep breath then spoke up. "You're not mistaken, Mrs. Carter. Nick is our adopted son."

Mrs. Carter couldn't believe her ears and felt disoriented for a moment. Her eyes welled up with tears as she recalled her tragic past.

It had been a fateful day weeks after Mr. Carter's death when she left Nick, whose real name was Aiden, at the door of an orphanage and walked away. Nick was Mrs. Carter's biological child and merely 3 years old at the time. However, due to financial difficulties following her husband's death, she lived hand to mouth and decided to abandon her son at an orphanage because she couldn't care for him.

Over the years, Mrs. Carter struggled a lot. Her husband had a small grocery store that was severely hit, and she was forced to sell it at one point in order to feed herself.

Later, after a lot of struggling, she found a job at a clothing store as a shop assistant. From that moment, her life took a turn for the better. She visited the orphanage where she'd left Nick, hoping to reunite with her son, but it was too late by then.

Two years before that, a couple had applied for his adoption, but the orphanage caretaker refused to give her the details. Mrs. Carter was heartbroken and walked out of the orphanage, teary-eyed. Then she saw a little girl. "Can you please play with me?" the girl gently asked, wiping her runny nose. "I don't have any friends here."

Mrs. Carter never understood what it was about the little girl that moved her, but she decided to adopt her. And that girl was none other than Melanie.

Now facing Nick's adoptive parents, Mrs. Carter couldn't stop crying. She quietly opened the door and invited Nick and Melanie inside. She took their hands in hers and told them the entire story.

Nick was aware that he was adopted, but neither he nor his parents knew that Mrs. Carter was his biological mother. On the other hand, Melanie, who knew about her adoption too, couldn't contain her tears as she struggled to accept the truth. "Now, what do we do, mom? I can't marry Nick! The wedding must be called off. Everything's messed up!"

"I'm sorry, honey," Mrs. Carter said. "It's my fault!"

"Please don't say that," Nick said, hugging the older woman. "It's not your fault. It's just that fate had it planned like this for all of us. And the wedding's not getting canceled because Melanie and I are not related by blood.

"I am grateful that I have two wonderful mothers in my life, and I thank God for reuniting me with my biological mom today. Let us rejoice on this happy day and start afresh! I know it's difficult for all of us to process what happened, but if we all stick together, we'll get through this!"

Melanie nodded and wiped away her tears. Nick's parents also agreed with him. And that day, after the emotional reunion, Nick walked into the wedding venue, proudly holding both of his mother's hands, while Melanie walked down the aisle with Mr. Arnolds, who was not only her soon-to-be father-in-law but also a father figure to her.

What can we learn from this story?

• In relationships, the heart of compromising and understanding each other is essential. When Nick discovered Mrs. Carter was his biological mother, he noticed Melanie was devastated that the wedding would be canceled because everything appeared to be in shambles. Nick handled the situation with maturity, understanding how everyone felt. The Arnolds and Carters are now a large happy family.
• Matches are made in heaven. Nick and Melanie were fated to be together, and it happened despite the obstacles that stood in their way.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who pays for an older woman's groceries and recognizes the sweetheart he lost 62 years ago.

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