Single Mom of 3 Adopts Twins She Watched in Park, Their Birth Mom Shows up on Their 18th Bday – Story of the Day

Twin brothers Alan and Patrick were adopted by a single mother of three as babies. But on their 18th birthday, their birth mother, Amanda, showed up and crashed their party, leaving everyone shocked.

The party was in full swing. Alice had decorated the entire backyard with colorful balloons and streamers, the aroma of her delicious barbecue lingered, and laughter and chatter filled the air.

Alan and Patrick were finally 18 years old and stepping into adulthood. Alice, their adoptive mother, couldn't be prouder. And she had only made the best preparations to celebrate the beautiful moment her youngest sons became a part of her life.

"Excuse me, everyone!" Alan interrupted the guests as he raised his glass for a toast. Then he turned to Alice. "Mom, would you please come here? Join me and Patrick?"

Alice smiled as she stood beside her boys. "You're embarrassing me," she shyly whispered, and Patrick chuckled. "Just wait for it! You're gonna love it, Mom!" he said.

Alan held Alice's hand and smiled as he faced the guests.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming here and giving me and my brother your best wishes," he began. "I know nothing I say can compensate for the love and care Mom has given us, but today…we just want to take this moment and thank her. Mom has always done her very best for us. Patrick and I would've been struggling out there…in I dunno what condition if she hadn't welcomed us into her arms and this home."

Tears sprang into Alice's eyes, and Patrick lovingly wrapped an arm around her. "You deserve every bit of this appreciation, Mom," he whispered to her as Alan went on.

"Patrick and I…no matter how much we thank her, we can never return the love and warmth she showered on us. We can never forget how she loved us and cared for us, even though we were born to someone else. So," Alan turned to Alice. "Thank you, Mom. Thank you for everything you've done for us. We're so grateful we met you."

The crowd started applauding as Alice and her boys wrapped each other in a group hug.

"I want to share something, too!" Patrick grinned as he faced the guests. "You all might not know, but 18 years ago…Mom found us here. In that park right across from this house. Abandoned. Alone. She accepted us as a mother, as a significant part of her life. Alan stole my speech and all those good words, but even you know I love you more than he does, Mom! We love you. So much! Thank you for everything!"

"Oh, that's enough, you boys are going to ruin my makeup!" Alice rubbed Patrick's back emotionally as a few guests laughed warmly. "I love you boys too. Thank you for making me a mother again by coming into my life all those years ago."

As Alice and her boys stood there, appreciating each other, a woman walked into the party and distracted Alice.

"What's wrong, Mom?"

Patrick and Alan turned around to see a pale, petite woman in ragged clothing standing in their backyard.

"Uh," Alan exchanged a confused glance with Patrick. "Hey, can we help you?"

A hush fell over the crowd as everyone looked at the woman, taken aback by her appearance. She pressed her palms to her lips and could barely contain her tears as she mumbled something.

"Hey, hey, it's OK," Alan approached her. "Are you lost? Look, you can tell us your name and—"

"So…you're Alan?" she asked tremblingly, then she looked at Patrick. "And that's your twin brother, Patrick?"

"Yes!" Patrick said. "Who are you?"

"I'm—I'm your birth mother, Amanda…" the woman revealed shakily, and a huge gasp rang out in the gathering. Alice's hands went to her mouth in shock.

"Mother?!" Alan cried as the guests started whispering among themselves.

"I'm very sorry, everyone. But please excuse us as we deal with something personal. Please keep enjoying the food! Thank you all so much for coming," Alan announced and took Patrick, Alice, and Amanda inside.

Amanda settled on the edge of the living room sofa while Alice sat at the kitchen counter, regretfully watching her twin boys' birth mother after 18 long years.

"I'm very sorry for what I did all those years ago," Amanda said, staring into her lap. "I hate myself for what happened. Believe me. I thought I didn't have a choice."

"Why are you here after all these years?" Alan asked calmly.

Alice remained quiet as she couldn't muster the courage to utter even a word. Amanda's presence after all these years shook her, to say the least.

"Please talk to us!" Patrick urged her.

Amanda averted her gaze and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry for coming here and interrupting your lives. I just want you to know that whatever happened…I wasn't entirely to blame for it. 18 years ago, I saw your father for the last time before I went to prison. And all this while, I was there, paying for what I was compelled to do."

"Prison?" Alan exchanged a worried glance with his brother.

"Yes," Amanda nodded, still staring into her lap. "I'm here to tell you both everything. Just give me a chance, and then it's up to you if you want to continue hating me. I still wish I could go back in time and change everything. I do…" Amanda said as she recounted the day that ruined her life forever.

18 years ago: The day Amanda's whole life was turned upside down…

Amanda was a young, talented woman back then. She was only 24, but she was employed as a head chef at one of the most renowned restaurants in town. And that day had been extra special for her.

Adam, Amanda's boss and the owner of the restaurant, was returning to town after 10 long months. He would be visiting with his parents from Europe, where they were busy with the grand opening of a new restaurant.

Amanda's cheeks turned red just at the thought of the news awaiting Adam and how he would react. Suddenly, a limo pulled over outside the restaurant, and Adam and his parents were finally there.

Amanda straightened her uniform and stood in line with the other staff members to welcome them.

"CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME BACK, BOSS!" The staff chorused, and loud applause sounded in the diner, accompanied by a rain of confetti as Adam and his parents walked in.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone. I appreciate y'all taking the time, but as you all may know, we are not closed today!" Adam laughed. "So, please, back to work. But yes, let me take the pleasure of inviting everyone to a celebratory dinner tonight!"

Amanda watched Adam from the corner of her eye as the staff returned to their work.

"Congratulations on expanding our business in Europe, sir!" The restaurant manager shook Adam's hands. As Amanda noticed Adam had finished talking with the manager and was heading toward his office, she quietly slipped into his office after him and locked the door.

"Finally! Oh my god!" she squealed excitedly and threw herself into his arms.

"You don't know how long I have waited for this, Adam! Oh, I missed you!" she quietly added as she pulled away after a hug. "You know, our children…they look exactly like you. They're…very handsome. Twin boys. And I can swear they are the most adorable babies I've ever seen in my life!" She smiled and went on, but Adam didn't seem happy.

"Oh, c'mon! Why are you looking at me like I'm talking gibberish?" she laughed. "You know, I was worried some of my friends would guess they were your babies…And I was so tired of always lying that I've got another fiancé! And the pregnancy…well, it wasn't easy. But now that you're back, I'm just so glad. Finally, we can tell everyone that we are together!"

But Adam stepped away from her. "We're not going to be together, Amanda," he said, looking away from her.

"Shut up!" She smiled and pulled him into a hug. "This is not the time for pranks. I love you, Adam."

"It's not a prank, Amanda," he said calmly. "And lower your voice, for God's sake. We're no longer together. There's nothing between us!"

Amanda's smile faded. "You're hurting me, Adam!" she cried. "Look, I'm warning you again…I'm never forgiving you if this turns out to be one of your silly jokes!"

"I'm serious as hell! I have no easy way of saying this, but we can't be together, Amanda," he told her blatantly. "I don't love you anymore. I met someone in Europe…the daughter of one of Dad's old friends, and we're getting married next week. So yeah, I've found myself someone, and you should move on too."

Amanda just couldn't fathom what Adam was saying. She was shaken by his words.

"What about all those months I waited for you, huh? 10 months, Adam! That's how long you made me wait! You had promised me that when you came back, you would introduce me to your parents and confess that we have two children to look after! And you're backing off now?!" she yelled. "Leaving YOUR children?!"

"Shh—Shh, please," Adam said, trying to calm her down. "Look, our relationship lost the spark long ago, Amanda. We may have been together, but things just weren't the same between us. We both know that. I promise you I will help you in raising our boys. I'll be a good Dad, but I don't see a future with you.

"$70,000. Plus, I'm even ready to give you an unofficial alimony every month until they turn 18, and I promise I'll pay for their college too. All I'm asking is that nobody should get to know that I'm the father of your twins," he added as he stepped closer to her, but Amanda backed away.

"I'm going and telling everything to your fiancée!" she snapped at him. "She deserves to know the kind of man you are, Adam!"

"If Catherine gets to know anything, I'll fire you from the restaurant and put you on the blacklist," he sighed. "And we both know nobody will hire you as a chef after that, Amanda," he went on. "If you ruin my life, trust me, I can ruin yours too…And so badly that you'll never be able to reclaim it. So take my advice and break up peacefully. I'm..." he paused. "...sorry that things have come to this."

But Amanda was no longer in the right frame of mind. She stood frozen, unable to believe Adam was the same man who had professed his love for her and promised to keep her happy. He had betrayed her, broken her trust.

Without uttering a word, Amanda stormed out of his office and went home.

"Hey, how was your day? You're home early today!" Amanda's friend Sarah was in the kitchen as Amanda walked in. She usually stayed with Amanda's children when Amanda would be busy working her shift.

"I already fed the babies with the milk you'd left in the freezer," Sarah said. "They were really fussy today."

"I'm going upstairs," Amanda replied as if she hadn't heard what Sarah said. In her babies' nursery, Amanda saw how her two little boys were sleeping peacefully, and she couldn't stop herself from crying.

She kissed them on their foreheads, and she had barely made it to the living room when she collapsed on the floor, sobbing like a child.

"Oh god! Amanda!" Sarah dropped everything and rushed to her side. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Sarah wrapped her arms around her friend as she listened to Amanda confess everything. "Can you believe he just dumped me? For a girl he met like 10 months ago?" she cried.

"Just forget him!" Sarah advised her. "He's not the right guy, Amanda. He would've never done something like that if he truly loved you. You've got two kids now. Think about them. Just take the money. It's going to help you give your boys a good childhood. It's only right he's compensating for the damages he's caused you."

But Amanda refused. "No way I am backing off!" she barked, wiping her tears. "If he thinks he can get away with this, he's wrong, Sarah! I have a plan, and I'll make sure Adam will regret what he has done! He is not getting married or living peacefully. Not while I'm alive!"

Amanda was hell-bent on taking her revenge, and a cunning plan brewed at the back of her mind. She would do anything to make sure Adam and Catherine broke up.

The next day at the restaurant, Amanda saw Adam's fiancée for the first time. Catherine was there for breakfast while Adam had busied himself with the wedding preparations.

"...But I think these flowers would just be perfect for the venue, Adam," Catherine interrupted him as she held a catalog. "And oh god, babe, we still need to decide on the drinks!"

"OK, no, you are not doing this! I brought you here for breakfast, not to get you stressed with our wedding preparations!" He led her to a table and opened a chair for her. "Just relax and enjoy your meal. I've already decided on your favorite flowers, and I'm going to check the drinks menu after this."

"No wonder I couldn't help falling for you…" Catherine smiled. "But Adam, you still haven't shown me around the restaurant! I would like to know more about the operations and your staff."

"Don't worry about that, love. We can do that. We've got all the time in the world," Adam said. "And yeah, just call me if you need anything. I'll be at the bar."

Only Amanda knew how hard it was for her not to scream and tell everyone what an awful man Adam was as she watched him play the gentleman card! But she composed herself, telling herself she had a plan, and approached Catherine's table with a smile.

"Good day, ma'am. I'm Amanda, the head chef," she introduced herself. "What would you like to have? And yes, please don't hesitate if you need assistance with anything else. I'll be happy to help."

"Oh, please call me Catherine," Catherine said as she rose to her feet. "And yes, you can actually help me. We can have breakfast later. I've been asking your boss to show me around the restaurant, but he's been putting it off. Can you help me with that?"

"Oh well, sure. That would be a pleasure," Amanda said. "This way."

As Catherine toured the restaurant, Amanda was really nice to her, introducing her to the staff and explaining more about the processes. In fact, the two women quickly struck a chord, and Catherine insisted on having breakfast with Amanda.

"You were really good at giving the tour," Catherine paused eating and complimented Amanda. "By the way, do you mind if I ask you something...as a friend?"

"Yes, please," Amanda said. "What is it?"

"Did Adam…Did he ever date anyone on the staff? Like, I know he won't hide anything from me, but you know…I'm just curious."

Amanda knew it was the right time.

"Well…" She put her fork down and looked up. "You know, Mr. Quinn is truly a gentleman, and I'd be lying if I said he isn't handsome. But since you're asking me as a friend, I want to be upfront with you…Mr. Quinn has always been quite popular among young waitresses and even some patrons. And God knows how many girls are still crushing on him…I'd give that to his looks. But you know, times change, people change."

"Really?" Catherine was concerned now. "I—I had no idea about that…"

"Yeah, I mean, in the past, he had a bit of a reputation with women," Amanda continued. "But honestly, I believe people can change...I mean, he's finally getting married to the love of his life. I think he's turned over a new leaf. You probably have nothing to worry about, Catherine."

But Amanda noticed Catherine was no longer smiling after what she had heard and seemed to be lost in deep thoughts. Amanda knew the first part of her plan was successfully executed.

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry, but please excuse me," Amanda distracted Catherine. "I didn't realize when time just flew by…It was really nice talking to you, but I should probably get back to work. And yes, it—it was really great meeting you!"

But Amanda didn't head back to the kitchen. Instead, she took a break, and when nobody noticed her, she slipped out of the restaurant to the pharmacy across the street. "Can I have some sleeping pills?" she asked the pharmacist, ready to put the second part of her plan into action.

In the evening, Adam and his friends gathered at the restaurant for his bachelor party. The work day had ended, so most of the staff had already gone home. And the diner stood quiet, except for the hooting and screaming of Adam's friends and the clanking of utensils from the kitchen.

Some members of the male staff had stayed back to serve Adam and his friends. Amanda, too, remained at the restaurant, citing she had to finalize the new dishes to be added to the menu. But the only thing on her mind was to trap Adam.

As the night wore on, Amanda noticed Adam and his friends were quite drunk. Adam could barely afford to stand on his feet. Still, they wouldn't stop going for a fresh round of drinks.

Amanda waited until Adam's friends were about to leave, then she approached their table and sneaked sleeping pills into Adam's glass, pretending to clean the table.

"Oh, how about I give you a hand?" Amanda smiled at the server, setting the dirty dishes on the adjacent table.

"Have fun, boys!" she said as she poured them drinks and walked away with the dishes.

From the kitchen door, Amanda watched Adam chugging the last of the alcohol as a few of his friends departed, then his head plopped on the table, and he fell into a deep sleep.

"He's down with just this much?" One of his friends chuckled. "Hey, Adam! Be a man and handle your drink, pal!"

"He's a goner. Come on, man! We've…We've got to carry him home!" another guy slurred. "Give me a hand!"

Two of Adam's friends began to carry him, but Amanda couldn't let that happen. It would ruin her plan.

"Oh, please, wait! You can't take him!" she blurted out as she approached them hastily. "I—I mean, you can't take him home because…Mr. Quinn's fiancée is at his home, celebrating her bachelorette with her friends. And well, uh, she wouldn't appreciate seeing him like this. Mr. Quinn often retires on the couch in his office when he's working late, so can you just carry him there? Yes?"

The two guys exchanged glances, and Amanda's heart raced, wondering if they had bought her story.

"Sure!" they finally said, and she heaved a sigh of relief.

The two guys carried Adam to his office couch and left. As all his friends were gone, Amanda finally exited the restaurant and looked up strippers she could hire in the area. She found a few online, and one of them agreed to her offer.

"I'm waiting for you at The Global Shine. I'm sending you the address…Yes, it's a bit of an urgent demand," she said and hung up.

About 30 minutes later, the stripper arrived at the restaurant.

"Your target is lying inside on a couch…" Amanda told her. "Make it look like you seduced him and went above and beyond your 'job description'...all yours. And listen," she paused and looked at her from head to toe. "Don't mess up. This golden opportunity won't knock on your door again!"

"You gotta be out of your mind, lady!" the woman snarled. "I don't sleep with guys for whatever crazy money you offer me! We girls don't do that in this line of work! You keep that money, I'm outta here!"

"Oh, gosh, no, no! That's not what I'm suggesting. Wait!" Amanda stopped her. "All you need to do is give his wife the impression that you slept with him when she comes here in two hours! And yeah, she should get to see you two together…you get what I mean, right? You just have to pretend! You can do that, right?"

"You should've said that before!" The woman rolled her eyes and accepted Amanda's offer.

Two hours later, it was 7 a.m., and Amanda called Catherine as per the plan.

"Hey, hi, Catherine," she said. "Could you like drop by the restaurant and pick up Adam? Yeah, he stayed in his office all night. Also, we could grab early breakfast together before the rush!"

"Oh yeah, that would be great! I'll see you there!" Catherine agreed.

As Amanda hung up, she quickly dropped a text to the stripper: "His fiancée will be there soon. You know what to do next."

As they arrived at the restaurant, Catherine excused herself. "I'll just check on Adam and be right back." But she was not prepared for the shock.

"WHAT THE HELL, ADAM?!" her loud voice boomed, and Amanda rushed over to Adam's office and saw her plan was successful.

The stripper hurriedly pulled herself off Adam and began dressing herself, and Adam sat frozen, his face pale.

"How dare you, Adam?! What the hell's going on here?!" Catherine fumed. "We're getting married in a few days. And you're banging another woman in your office?!"

"Babe, please, listen. I—I didn't do anything like that," Adam pleaded with her. "I…I don't know what happened last night because I was drunk, but I didn't sleep with her!"

"Oh, c'mon!" the stripper rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't lie to your future wife! You called me last night for a private performance…and then you offered me wine, and you said you were single…and well, we know the rest is history!"

"Stop lying!" Adam jumped to his feet. "Babe, please, trust me! I didn't sleep with her! I couldn't have done such a thing!" He turned to the stripper. "Wait, if I called you here, I would've paid you for the performance, right? Show me the transaction."

"Well, you gave me cash…Here," The woman shrugged and opened her purse.

"Oh God," Adam scoffed. "Now I'm definitely sure she's lying! I only use credit cards for payments! I don't use cash!"

It was then Adam looked beyond Catherine's shoulder and noticed Amanda as the stripper was leaving.

"Actually, you know what, babe," he said. "I've got an idea…Let's check the security cameras, and you'll know I'm not lying!"

As they checked the security camera footage, Amanda's plan backfired because they saw Amanda was the one who led the stripper to Adam's office.

"Fire that woman right now!" Catherine demanded.

"Babe, please, relax," Adam tried to calm her down. "Don't worry; I'll take care of it. You know what? Just go home. I'll sort things out and see you later, alright?"

Adam walked Catherine to the car, and five minutes after talking to her, he came back to confront Amanda.

"You're fired, Amanda! Congratulations!" He taunted her as he tossed her severance pay before her.

"Still can't believe you'd stoop so low! But well, guess it was you just being the real you?" he snarled. "For your information, Catherine wanted to blacklist you, but I persuaded her not to do it! Look, Amanda, you have to stop! And I'm not backing out on my promise. I'll still support my sons and give you more than you need! Now out, and don't you ever show me your face again!"

"Mark my words!" she lashed out, glaring at him. "You won't live in peace, Adam!"

Amanda was boiling in rage as she was kicked out of the restaurant. She didn't deserve this humiliation! The wrong people in her life had made her look evil, and Amanda wouldn't rest until she got her revenge. She would make sure her wrong-doers were in pain.

Several days went by, and Adam and Catherine's wedding day finally arrived. Sarah had to move in with her because Amanda had been really unwell lately. Jobless and heartbroken, she'd been on a bender to keep her mind off things.

"I'm going to crash their wedding," she told Sarah that morning and Sarah was just shocked.

"Stop it, Amanda!" She scolded her. "You're gonna throw your life away for a man who didn't even care about you?! Put that thing down, for God's sake!" She approached Amanda and snatched the wine bottle. But Amanda yanked it back.

"I won't!" she snapped as she chugged the entire thing. "That man can't leave me like this and move on with a happily ever after! I won't let him!"

"Gosh, you need to snap to your senses, Amanda!" Sarah shot back. "You've got two sons to care about, and you are all they have! Can you stop pretending like this is the end of the world?! There are so many guys out there! Stop abusing yourself and give me that!" Sarah reached to snatch the wine bottle from her again, but Amanda slapped her hand away.

"Don't you dare!" she growled. "You don't understand me! Nobody understands me! It was not your boyfriend who left you after getting you pregnant, Sarah! So get the hell out of my face! And don't you dare try to control my life!"

"Fine! Do as you wish!" Sarah yelled and left the room.

In a rage, Amanda flung the bottle to the floor, smashing it into pieces, and stormed out of her house with her twins. She arrived at the park where a beautiful wedding venue was arranged—the place where Adam and Catherine would celebrate the start of their new life.

Amanda swallowed the angry tears rising to her eyes as her gaze ran to a strange woman sitting across from the venue on a bench. Her three children were playing around her, and noticing she was a mother too, Amanda decided to trust her.

"Hey, can I ask for a favor?" Amanda asked as she stopped her twins' strollers beside her. "I won't be long. Can you please watch my boys until then? I'll be back in 10 minutes."

And that's how long it took Amanda to destroy someone else's happiness. A mere 10 minutes. She left her babies with the woman and burst into her ex's wedding ceremony, yelling at the top of her voice:

"HAPPY MARRIED LIFE, YOU CHEATER! EVERYONE, HE'S THE MAN WHO'S THE FATHER OF MY TWINS!" she glared at Adam.

A huge gasp rang out as all the guests looked at Catherine and Adam at the altar, then at Amanda.

"You must be happy now, aren't you, Adam?" Amanda smirked, but little could she guess her plan would fail.

"Stop embarrassing yourself, Amanda!" Adam told her. "Catherine knows everything…I confessed everything before her family. And Catherine has already forgiven me. You should move on and get a life! Amanda, what the hell! I said stop! Someone stop her!"

Amanda's rage knew no bounds, and she began ruining the entire venue—plucking the decorations, toppling the tables, and kicking the chairs—until the patrol policeman ran up to her.

"Get off of me! Leave me alone!" she yelled as she was being carried out of the venue by the cop. But there was a moment of negligence, and she got her hands on the gun in the cop's holster.

"You won't live in peace, you cheater!" she yelled as she shot Adam, but she missed the aim, and he endured a wound on his arm.

"What the hell!" he cried in pain, and the gun slipped from her grasp.

Amanda froze, and her mind went blank as the cop charged at her and pushed her to the ground. Her head struck something hard; she didn't know what, but…she passed out.

Present-day…

"That's how I ruined my life...our lives. I regret what I did and will probably carry that regret all my life," Amanda told her sons in tears.

"And I was the mother who was just sitting in the park with her three children when she approached me and asked me to watch you both," Alice interrupted her.

"I just came here to tell you boys everything and to ask for your forgiveness," Amanda added. "I'm sorry that I was the worst mother. But I hope you forgive me someday."

"Maybe someday. But in the meantime, we'll help you restart your life. We've all suffered enough, and that includes you," Patrick said, looking her in the eye.

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