Stepson Mocked by Adoptive Parents & Their Children Finds Letters They Hid from Him – Story of the Day
Peter was constantly mocked and mistreated by his adoptive parents. He thought he would have to endure this forever until his siblings found letters that their parents hid from him.
When he was only a year old, Peter was abandoned by his parents at an orphanage because of their poor living conditions. They were in debt and could not raise Peter in a safe and comfortable environment.
Meanwhile, Taylor and Amanda were a young couple wanting to start a family so badly. When they were 28 years old, several doctors told them that it would be difficult for them to have children due to complications in their reproductive systems.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
So, that same year, they decided to adopt a child from their town's local orphanage. When they first saw Peter, they found him such an adorable little child. Then four years old, he was a cute blonde little boy with beautiful hazel brown eyes.
"I think we found our son," Amanda told Taylor as they observed Peter playing with the other children in the orphanage's playground one day.
Since that day, they worked towards officially making Peter a part of their family. They fixed all of his documents and took him into their home.
At first, Peter felt loved. He was his new parents' center of attention, and they would often take him out to the park or to the mall to eat delicious meals as a family. However, this all changed a couple of years later when Amanda and Taylor miraculously conceived children.
When Peter was six, he had come home from school rushing to hug his mother but his dad removed his arms from around his mom. "Be gentle with your mom! She's carrying our precious children. If anything happens to them, you'll be the one to blame," Taylor told him.
"I'm going to have siblings?" Peter said, surprised. He did not mind his father's threatening tone, as he was excited for his siblings to arrive, thinking they would grow up together closely.
"Yes, so you need to be a good boy and not give us any trouble. Do you understand?" Taylor replied with a stern look on his face.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Peter smiled and nodded excitedly. He had always wanted siblings. He made sure to follow his dad by being a good boy. He did his homework alone, finished the food they gave him every mealtime, and stayed out of their way.
Nine months later, his mother gave birth to twin daughters. They left Peter with a neighbor while they tended to the twins at the hospital for two weeks, as they were born prematurely.
"When are they coming to pick me up?" Peter asked one day as he looked outside the window for a cab to appear in front of their house.
"They will be home soon, sweetheart. They just got discharged from the hospital, so the drive back will take a while," their neighbor, whom he called Aunt Julie, replied.
"I can't wait to give my sisters some hugs and kisses," Peter told her, to which she smiled and nodded.
"You'll be an awesome big brother, Peter."
A few minutes later, a yellow taxi appeared, and Taylor was the first to get out. Excited, Peter ran out to the garage to greet him.
"Dad!" he said as he ran closer.
"Peter, stay away! You're going to wake the babies!" he said, keeping him at arm's length.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
"Hi, mom," he waved from where his dad was holding him back. Amanda simply looked at him and walked inside their house with the two babies in her arms.
Having their own children completely changed the way they treated Peter. It also wiped away most of their savings, as having to spend on baby products not just once but twice ended up being costly for them.
As a result, they had to cut down on many things. Peter was asked to eat breakfast and lunch at school, and he would not be given any snacks. Instead, he had to rely on the free food provided.
Moreover, he was forbidden to watch TV in the living room at home and was asked to stay in his room whenever he wasn't called. His parents no longer waited for him from outside the house every time the school bus would pick him up and drop him off, and instead, he'd walk straight up to his room.
This continued for years, and Peter slowly started to realize why he was suddenly treated as an outcast. At school, he confided in his best friend Adam that he felt as if I was just a placeholder for his parents.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
"They don't love me anymore because I'm adopted. I'm not their real child. Now that I have twin sisters, they don't need me anymore," he said. He was 12 years old by this time, and his siblings were six.
"Come on, buddy. Maybe they're just busy. I'm sure they still love you," Adam said, trying to reassure him.
He shook his head. "You mean they've been busy for six years? I haven't had a decent meal at home for six years. I haven't even had a set of new clothes in six years. Everything I have, I got from Aunt Julie next door. All the things that can't fit her son anymore, she gives to me."
That day, Adam wanted to see Peter's living situation for himself. However, when they got to the front door of their house, they were greeted by Amanda's deep glare. "There's not enough food for everyone tonight. Maybe next time, Adam," she said before pulling Peter inside the house.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Adam nodded and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder before walking home, which was a block away from where Peter lived. As soon as he was out of sight, Amanda gave Peter a harsh wake-up call.
"Who are you to invite people into my home?!" she asked him. "You're already such a waste of space and money, and you're out here bringing more people to feed? Don't be ridiculous," she said before pointing up the stairs.
"Go to your room and stay there unless you're called," she commanded. Having had enough of the berating and the humiliation from his parents, Peter quietly walked up the room with tears in his eyes.
What did I do to deserve this? he thought to himself. Nobody in this world loves me. My birth parents abandoned me, and now, my adoptive parents have, too. That night, he cried himself to sleep, wishing something in his life would change for the better.
The very next day, he came home from school to see his two siblings eating macaroni and cheese at the table, sorting through the mail. "Where's mom and dad?" Peter asked them.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
"They're at the neighbor's," Anna said passively without even looking at him. "By the way, there's a letter here for you," she said, throwing the envelope towards him.
"Me?" he said in disbelief, picking the envelope up from the floor. As soon as he opened it, he read the words, "Peter, sweetheart, we have been waiting for you to answer."
At that instant, Amanda burst through the door and was surprised to see him holding the piece of paper. "How dare you touch things without our permission!" she almost shrieked, tearing the paper out of his hands.
"I didn't read it. I simply wanted to hand it to you when you came in," he said, lying.
Soon, Peter began to notice a pattern in which his parents would be out of the house every Saturday morning, so he decided to take advantage of it one day. He went through every drawer at home to search for the letters his parents hid from him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
After searching for a couple of minutes, he finally found them in a box under their bed. He took them all and ran towards his friend Adam's house to read them.
It turns out the letters were written by his birth parents. They had been looking for him for years and assumed that Peter wanted nothing to do with them as he had not responded. The first letter was dated back to four years ago. It read:
Dearest Peter,
We are terribly guilty and sorry for what we did to you at such a young age. You did not deserve to be left at an orphanage, but your father and I had no choice. We were poor and could not feed you proper food. We thought that having you stay at the orphanage would give you a chance at a better childhood while we searched for work.
We made it, Peter. Dad and I found work at a local restaurant soon after. We learned so much from working there that we managed to put up our own diner. Now, seven years later, we have over six branches. We went to the orphanage hoping to take you back, but we were told you had been adopted by a lovely young couple.
How are they, sweetheart? Do you have a great life? We want to see you so badly. Dad hired a private investigator to find out where you lived, and that is why we are writing to you now. If you happen to receive this, please do write back. We long to hear from you.
Love,
Mom and Dad
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Peter could not believe his eyes. He went through the letters one by one and realized that up until this week, his parents had been writing to him. "Adam. My birth parents. They've been looking for me!" he told his best friend.
"Is there a number they left? Give them a call right now!" Adam said, handing him their wireless landline phone.
Peter nervously dialed the number on the most recent letter, and a woman answered. "Hello?"
"Hi. Is this Mrs. Anderson?" he asked.
"Yes, this is Mrs. Anderson. May I know who's on the phone?" she replied.
"It's me, Peter," he said calmly.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
There was silence on the other line for a couple of seconds. "Peter? Peter, my son? Is it you? Please don't let this be a prank. Is it you, sweetheart?" she said, immediately crying.
"It's me, Peter. I only found your letters today. My adoptive parents hid them from me for years," he explained.
"Oh my god, Peter. Are they not treating you well? Where are you? Dad and I will come to see you right now," she said.
"I'm at my best friend Adam's house," Peter responded before giving the address. About four hours later, at three in the afternoon, the doorbell rang.
Adam's parents knew about the whole ordeal, so they gladly agreed to host Peter's parents at home for a meal. Both their eyes were red and swollen from crying when they got there. They greeted Adam's parents and introduced themselves before turning their gaze at Adam and Peter, who were watching from the staircase.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
"Peter," his mom said, sobbing. Peter walked down the stairs and stood in front of her. She opened her arms for an embrace, and Peter moved in closer. He had not felt the warmth of a hug for years, and the comfort that hug gave him brought him to tears.
Adam and his family gave Peter and his parents some privacy. They spoke in the living room, where Peter's parents apologized and explained why they had to let Peter go years back.
In turn, Peter revealed how his adoptive parents have been mistreating him for years since the arrival of his siblings. Hearing his story broke his parents' hearts, and they all cried together as they decided on what to do next.
"Would you be willing to move in with us, sweetheart? I know you probably don't trust dad and me just yet, but we love you so much and would love to start fresh with you. We live in Miami, so it took us hours to get here. We took the first plane out, and luckily, there was one about to leave when we got to the airport," his mom, Sarah, explained.
Peter nodded. "I haven't embraced someone in years, and when you hugged me when you arrived, it just felt like home. You had reasons why you had to leave me at the orphanage, and I understand that. Now, I just want to be in a loving and safe home," he admitted.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
With that, Peter's parents got to work. They hired a lawyer that same day and knocked on the door of Amanda and Taylor's house that evening with Peter with them. "Peter, where on Earth have you been?" Amanda angrily asked before noticing the three adults behind him.
"Who are they? What did I say about inviting people into my house?" she asked Peter while trying her best to hide her annoyance.
The lawyer intervened and introduced herself and said they had enough evidence to file a child abuse case against her and Taylor for how they treated Peter. Sarah spoke after, introducing herself as Peter's birth mother.
"Why didn't you ever show him our letters?" she asked.
At that, Amanda blew up. "And then what? You take him and he lives a happy life while we continue to suffer in poverty? I find that quite unfair. We fed him and kept him with us for years and we get nothing in return?"
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
"You fed him EXPIRED food and barely fed him! You were the one who chose to adopt him yet you treated him as an outcast," the lawyer said. "Because of that, I have a court order to take him out of your custody as his birth parents appeal for a reversal of his adoption. You have no right to ask for anything in return – you promised to take care of him when you signed those adoption papers."
Suddenly afraid to be taken to court, Amanda gave up on trying to get monetary compensation from Peter's wealthy biological parents. She just wanted them gone. "Fine. Take him. That's one less problem that I have to deal with," Amanda said before shutting the door on them.
Once his papers were fixed, Peter moved to Miami with his parents. There, he started a new life and lived in a happy and loving home where his parents prioritized him over anything else.
What can we learn from this story?
- Those who truly love us will find a way back into our lives no matter how difficult. Year after year, Peter's birth parents tried to contact him even though they didn't hear back from him the first time.
- In a family, where you came from should not matter. Adopted children and biological children should be equal in the eyes of their parents no matter what happens.
Share this story with your loved ones. It might inspire them and make their day.
If you liked this story, you might like this one about an orphan boy who found a box with his late father's name on it at the unfinished house his father once tried to build for him.
This account is inspired by our reader's story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.