Rich Man Shelters Poor Sister, Next Morning Finds Her Gone, Leaving Child He Never Knew Existed – Story of the Day

Steve's sister, Alana, showed up at his doorstep during a downpour and asked for shelter. He welcomed her with open arms. But the next morning, he found a baby he didn't know existed in the guestroom with a piece of paper, and the message on it stunned him.

"Can I come in?" Steve's little sister, Alana, stood on his doorstep. She was soaked from head to toe, but Steve's eyes were wide because no one in his family had seen her for many years.

Steve was an honor student who got scholarships for several prestigious offices and now worked at a major corporation, earning tons of money. He had a wife, Lucy, and two kids. However, Alana had taken a completely different path.

She made no plans to go to college, although their parents tried to urge her. Instead, they had a huge fight and she ran away from their home to "follow her dreams." No one had heard from her, and most people assumed she had moved away from Virginia.

But her eyes traveled to the bed and noticed something on the bed. She picked up a piece of paper with trembling hands. "It's a message from Alana."

Now, Alana was standing on Steve's doorstep, asking to come in, and Steve wouldn't even dream of saying no. "Of course! Of course! Alana, oh my God! Thank God!" he stated, his emotions getting the best of him. He was so glad to see her.

He wrapped her in his arms with all the love in the world and didn't care that she was wet. She returned the embrace timidly, and he let her go reluctantly after a minute.

"Lucy, honey!" he called out to his wife. "Please, get some towels. My sister is here!"

His wife came to the living room and was shocked to see Alana, who never even came to their wedding. They made small talk while Alana tried to dry off with the towel, and Lucy also served her a warm cup of coffee.

"I'll let you two talk," Lucy said, leaving them alone in the kitchen.

"Alana, I'm so glad to see you. Can I call Mom and Dad? They've been worried sick for so long," Steve begged, wanting to hug her again. But it didn't seem like she would be open to that, and he didn't want to spook her away.

After a few moments, she shook her head. "No, Steve. Not now. Please, I need a place to stay and… I was hoping you could find me a job."

Steve started thinking hard and nodding. "I'll help with anything. Sure!"

Alana shook her head again. "I need a good job. Something that will change my life. Something at your company."

"Alana, I don't know about the current job openings, and I'm sorry, honey, but you don't have a degree, right? I can help you get a job and enroll in classes. If you graduate, I bet we can get you something," the big brother explained and started planning.

Alana was quiet, then she suddenly asked, "Can I go to sleep now? I'm so tired."

"Sure!" Steve responded and led her to the guest room. His kids had already been asleep by the time she arrived, but he looked forward to introducing them to their aunt.

***

"Alana, are you up?" Steve knocked on the guest bedroom door. "I called out from work, and I have some ideas about you studying and such."

No one answered. In fact, the room was too quiet, and Steve had a terrible feeling in his gut, so he opened the door and couldn't believe what he saw inside.

Alana was gone, although he hadn't heard her leave at all. He would ask Lucy about that later, but he couldn't focus on that. A baby was stirring on the bed, and he had no idea where the baby had come from.

"Lucy!" he yelled into the hall as he rushed to the baby, and his wife came running.

"Oh my God!" she breathed. "Is that Alana's baby?"

"I don't… know," he replied, taking the baby in his hands and staring at the beautiful face that reminded him so much of his own children at that age. "It has to be."

"She didn't have him last night," Lucy stated, her hand to her mouth. But her eyes traveled to the bed and noticed something on the bed. She picked up a piece of paper with trembling hands. "It's a message from Alana."

Dear Steve, I can't do this. I can't be a mother. I have nothing to offer this baby. He'll be much better if he's in your care. Thank you, and I'm sorry. Alana.

They had no idea how Alana had snuck the baby into the house without them noticing, but Lucy said she would be fine raising him as their child.

"I love you for that, darling. But I can't lose my sister again. She needs to get her life together, and I have to help her too," Steve told her and grabbed his phone. He had a few contacts in the police department, and he was finally going to use them.

He had never taken such measures before, thinking that Alana deserved to make her own decisions, but she was making a colossal error. She would regret giving up her baby like this, and Steve knew that everyone could turn their life around. It was never too late.

Finally, his contacts found Alana's cellphone number, and he called her. "Please, don't hang up. Alana, you'll regret this forever. Come back. You can stay here with your baby. I'm begging you. We're here. We love you. We'll support you. You can turn things around. You can do anything! Money is not that important. A mother's love for her child is more valuable than that. Please!"

"I'm such a loser, Steve. I can't."

"No, you're not! You can come here. You can go to school and work, and Lucy and I will help with childcare. I'll help you because all you need is hard work to turn your life around," he insisted. His voice couldn't be more desperate.

Alana cried over the phone, but she finally agreed and showed up at Steve's door a few hours later. This time, she initiated a tight hug with Steve, and he promised never to let his little sister go astray again.

At some point, he asked her how she had snuck the baby into the house. Alana revealed she left the kid in her car earlier and went out when everyone was asleep.

Steve shook her head at her sister but didn't say more because they were both safe and sound in his home.

After a few days, they called their parents who were glad to have Alana back. They offered her a place in their home, but she decided to stay with Steve and his family.

She enrolled in community college classes and started working at the local supermarket. She later transferred to a four-year university and graduated as quickly as possible while raising her child.

Finally, Steve got her an internship at his company, and she slowly started climbing the corporate ladder. When her child, Andrew, turned six, she was finally in a position to get her own place while dating a rising executive at the company.

Years later, Steve gave a speech at Alana's wedding, reminding her that it is never too late to find happiness. It's never too late to fight for those you love, and that love from family is more important than all the money in the world.

What can we learn from this story?

• A mother's love is worth more than all the money in the world. Steve believed wholeheartedly that Alana needed to come back. Of course, he would've been able to raise his nephew well, but having his mother would be infinitely better.
• It's never too late to change your life if you're unhappy or in trouble. Alana thought she needed to disappear because she was a loser, but instead, Steve showed her that she could change, work hard, and be the person she wanted to be.

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This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers 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.