Bride Gives Birth at Wedding, Groom Throws Ring Away After Seeing Baby's Face — Story of the Day

Karl decides to marry Diana despite his mother's insistence that the woman is using him. However, he's forced to face the truth when a heavily pregnant Diana goes into labor during their wedding ceremony.

"What do you think, mom?" Karl presented the platinum charm bracelet he'd purchased. "Will Diana like this? I thought I'd get a dog charm too, to commemorate the time we met."

Karl's mom arched her eyebrows. "You'd be better off with a shepherd's crook."

Karl frowned and let out a confused chuckle. "Why?"

"I overheard her calling you a sheep when you visited on Sunday. I can only assume she sees herself as the shepherdess, leading you to some wicked end."

"I don't believe you." Karl tucked the bracelet back into his pocket. "When are you going to stop being so mean to Diana? Just because she isn't some snob with a pedigree, doesn't mean she's using me."

"I agree; she's using you because she's a trashy golddigger." Karl's mom rose and stared down at her son. "You're so blinded by her physical attributes, you refuse to see the red flags."

"I've had enough of this." Karl rose and strode toward the door of his mother's library.

"What more will it take for you to see the truth?" Mom called after him.

Karl ignored her. He knew what was going on here, and it was pathetic. Mom was jealous of Diana because she was free-spirited, graceful, and beautiful. She thought Diana was after his money because that was what she had been taught to value all her life. Mom had no appreciation for simple pleasures, or true love.

Karl sped home to his penthouse apartment. He was still seething, but his anger faded when he found Diana lying on the couch. The gentle light cast a coppery glow over her face, and her eyes sparkled like diamonds when she saw him.

"Baby, I've got the best news." Diana's long legs flashed through the air as she rose. "I'm pregnant!"

Karl dropped his keys in shock. "What? Are you sure?"

Diana nodded as she sashayed toward him.

"You're going to be a daddy."

"But..." Karl was confused. They'd always been careful, but he knew no birth control method was foolproof.

"Aren't you happy, baby?" Diana leaned in close. "I know it's a surprise, but don't you want to have a baby with me?"

Karl looked down into Diana's big brown eyes. "Of course, sweetie, I'm just shocked. I wasn't planning on having children yet, and we aren't even married."

Diana pouted seductively and wrapped her arms around him. "That's easy to fix, don't you think?"

"Are you proposing to me?"

"Why not?" Diana shrugged. "It's a modern world, and we're going to have a baby, Karl! I know you're the only man for me. We might as well make it official. Unless," she stepped back then, "you don't feel the same way. You do love me, don't you, Karl?"

"With all my heart!" Karl swept Diana into his arms.

When Karl told his mom he was marrying Diana, he was confident it would force her to accept their relationship. Instead, she flew into a rage.

"You will not marry that woman!" She shouted.

"I will, and there's nothing you can do to stop me," Karl replied.

"We'll see about that!" Karl's mom was red-faced with anger. Her lips pursed with sour disapproval.

"You won't have a cent of my money for this farce."

"I don't need your money." Karl stormed out of his mother's mansion and returned home. He couldn't believe his mother was prepared to take her silly, jealous grudge against Diana so far.

Karl and Diana spent the next few days discussing their wedding plans. Karl wanted everything to be perfect by the time their beautiful baby came into the world. That weekend, they traveled to an estate they both liked for the reception, but when Karl received a nasty shock when he tried to pay the deposit.

His mother had cut off his access to his bank accounts! Karl phoned her in a fury.

"I told you I wouldn't fund this ridiculous wedding," she said. "The money in those accounts comes from me, and I won't have Diana bleeding them dry."

Karl hung up. He was more determined than ever to marry Diana now. There was only one thing to do: Karl had to get a job.

Karl couldn't believe what he'd just heard, but he knew he had to take action.

Karl had never needed to work before, but he did have a good education, so he was soon hired for an office job. Although it took up a large amount of his leisure time, there was a novelty to the hard work that Karl enjoyed.

"This is what life is all about," he told Diana one evening. He had his hand on her belly to feel his child moving inside her. "The satisfaction of working hard to provide for yourself and your family. What could be more meaningful than that?"

Diana gave him an indulgent look. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, baby, but you really should make up with your mom."

Karl shook his head.

"Not until she apologizes."

There was one more nasty surprise waiting for Karl. At the end of the month, he received notice from his landlord! His mom had canceled the lease.

"How bitter can a person be," Karl grumbled as he packed his possessions.

He and Diana moved into a modest apartment together. Karl saved as much money as possible and finally had enough to pay for the wedding.

Diana was seven months pregnant by then, and her belly was very prominent as she walked down the aisle. It set several members of his family whispering in their seats. Karl was glad he hadn't invited his mother.

The wedding proceeded, but before the priest proclaimed them husband and wife, Diana doubled over in pain.

"I think the baby's coming," she said between gritted teeth.

One of Karl's cousins was a respected doctor, and she rushed forward to help. Karl knelt beside Diana to support her, but he was more panicked than she was! The baby was early. Karl worried about the child's health and also longed for the moment he'd finally get to hold his child in his arms.

Then his cousin was lifting the baby. Karl rushed over, and his world crashed around him.

"That's not my child." He turned to Diana.

"You lied to me."

Diana was still exhausted from giving birth. "It is your baby," she panted.

Karl clenched his jaw and looked back to the dark-skinned baby in his cousin's arms. So many nights, he cuddled up close to Diana's swollen belly and told stories to his child. All those nights, all the love he'd felt for Diana and his child was a lie.

"My mother was right about you." Karl stood. He threw his wedding ring to the floor and stormed out of the church in tears.

There were too many painful memories waiting back at the apartment Karl shared with Diana, so he booked himself into a motel. There, he spent the next few days lost in his grief.

One day, his mother called. Karl didn't want to speak to her, but she kept calling, so he eventually answered.

"If you're calling to gloat, don't bother," he said.

"I'm calling because I'm worried about you, Karl. You must be heartbroken and I want you to know that I'm here for you. You're welcome to come home."

There was a knock at the door then. Karl peeked out the window and gasped when he saw who was standing at his door.

"I'll call you back later, mom." He ended the call and opened the door.

"You have to listen to me, baby." Diana pushed past him into the room.

"I can explain everything."

His heart broke again as he noted the desperation in her eyes and how her lip quivered with emotion. All his love for her was still there, bright as fire beneath his pain.

"Look." Diana held up photos of several dark-skinned people. "These are my ancestors: my great-great-grandmother, aunts, and uncles from my mother's family. This is why our baby has dark skin. It's a rare genetic mutation that runs in my family."

Karl vaguely remembered reading an article about something like this, and there were surely all sorts of genetic conditions so rare that they weren't common knowledge.

"Please, baby, you have to believe me." Diana put her hands on his chest. "I love you, and only you. I'd never cheat on you."

The vanilla scent of Diana's perfume filled Karl's senses. She looked so fragile, and there were tears in her eyes. He wanted to believe her, and it seemed only fair that he give her a second chance. After all, he knew Diana was a sweet, trustworthy woman, and there was a way to prove her claims.

"I want a DNA test," he said.

Diana's eyes widened. "You don't believe me?"

"I need proof, Diana. You've got to understand that."

Diana pulled away. "Okay. If that's what it takes. But the baby is still in the hospital because he was premature. We can't do any tests until the doctors say it's okay."

Karl agreed. He knew that would give him enough time to have another critical discussion.

He arrived at his mother's house early the next day and told her everything.

"You can't be serious!" Mom gaped at him. "She's obviously lying, Karl."

"That's why I'm getting a DNA test."

Mom stood so abruptly that her chair fell over. "You are the biggest fool I've ever met! How did you turn out to be such an idiot? Were you so robbed of love growing up that you can't tell when somebody is using your affections to manipulate you?"

"Maybe I was!"

Mom gasped. She tried to sit, but her chair fell, so she ended up on the floor instead. Karl moved to help her up and realized something was wrong. Mom clutched at her chest and grimaced in pain.

He shouted to the staff to call an ambulance, and the paramedics rushed Mom to the hospital. The doctors told him she'd had a heart attack. This was all his fault! Karl shuffled toward the exit. He wished everything could go right for him for a change.

Karl knew then what he had to do. Life was too short to waste any moment of happiness, so he called Diana and told her what had happened. She was very sympathetic and even offered to look after his mom's house until she recovered.

Karl agreed as he thought this was an excellent way for his mom to see the kindness and honesty in Diana and realize she'd misjudged her. Karl stayed at the hospital until the early morning when the doctor told him she was stable.

He rushed to his mom's house to tell Diana the good news. It was still dark, so he let himself in and crept upstairs so he wouldn't frighten her. As he approached the bedrooms, he heard something that froze him in place.

"You're lying, Diana, just like you lied to me about using birth control. Dumb as that rich boy might be, you won't fool him with a fake DNA test."

"What else do you want me to do, Derek?" Diana replied. "It was your idea for me to seduce that sheep in the first place, and it's not like I can get a real DNA test done. The moment he finds out he's not the baby's father, our sweet ride on his dime will come to an end."

Karl leaned against the wall, dumbfounded. He remembered his mom telling him she'd overheard Diana calling him a sheep and how he'd refused to believe her.

"Look around you, baby girl. This house is full of expensive stuff. We'll load up my van and take off with our kid. These rich folk will be funding us a little while longer."

Diana laughed. Karl couldn't believe what he'd just heard, but he knew he had to take action. He snuck back downstairs, locked all the doors, and called the police.

The police arrested Diana and Derek. It turned out this wasn't the first time the couple had run this scam, and they were wanted in two other states.

Karl couldn't believe he'd been such a fool because of a pretty girl! He begged for forgiveness at his mother's bedside when she recovered enough to have visitors.

"You were right all along," he said, "and I should've believed you."

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't let emotions cloud your logic. Karl loved Diana so much that he was willing to give her another chance even though it was apparent she was manipulating him.
• Trust your family's judgment. If Karl had given more weight to his mother's warnings, he would've realized sooner that Diana was only using him.

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