Rich Man Hits Homeless Girl on the Road, Recognizes His Daughter Who Disappeared 10 Years Ago – Story of the Day
Rich businessman Karl was driving home on a rainy evening when he accidentally hit a homeless girl and called 911 to save her life. As the girl is rushed into the ambulance, Karl notices a familiar scar on the girl's hand and recognizes his long-lost daughter.
The chilling mist hung low over the deserted streets, casting an eerie glow under the dim street lights. Karl was driving home on a rainy night, lost in deep thought about his upcoming meeting with a Japanese client. Impressing this client would bring a massive turnover to Karl's already flourishing ceramics business, and he was determined to give it his all.
As Karl's SUV wove through the empty street, the engine's hum was disrupted by an unexpected thud, followed by the screech of tires. In a wink, Karl's heart pounded in his chest as he jolted to a stop, adrenaline surging through his veins.
"Whoa! What was that?" He exclaimed, his eyes bulging in fright as he scanned the misty road. He couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible had just happened.
He thought he had run over an animal crossing the road, and his heart raced. Karl loved animals, and the possibility of having hurt one felt like a nightmare come alive. So he immediately turned off the engine and nervously stepped out to check, his legs shaking with anxiety.
"Oh my God! A girl?" Karl's eyes widened in shock—a homeless girl, battered and bruised by the impact, lay on the asphalt. "Jesus! Are you okay?" Karl's voice trembled as he rushed to the girl, seemingly in her early 20s…
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"Water...water..." the injured girl whispered as her half-closed eyes fluttered. Karl noticed she was wearing shabby clothes drenched in blood and torn in places, exposing her fragile body. He quickly removed his blazer and wrapped it around her.
The girl's pain-filled screams echoed in the quiet night as Karl knelt beside her. "It's okay...it's okay, please. I'll get you to the hospital. I'm so sorry...I didn't notice you crossing the road...Miss? Can you hear me? Miss?"
A cold shiver shot up Karl's spine when he saw the girl close her eyes and pass out on his lap, drenched in crimson. "Miss? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" he stammered, reaching out for his cell phone while checking the girl's pulse to make sure she was still hanging on.
He dialed 911 in a panic, his hands still shaking. "Yes, please, send an ambulance! A girl has been hit by a car, and she's badly hurt. We need help, quickly!" Karl's voice trembled as he provided the necessary details to the emergency operator while hiding the fact that he was the one who had hit her.
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Within minutes, the distant wail of sirens grew louder. The flashing lights of an ambulance pierced through the mist. Paramedics rushed to the scene, assessing the girl's condition.
As they carefully lifted her onto a gurney, Karl noticed a familiar burn scar on the girl's right hand — it was the same scar with a little crescent-shaped dent his daughter had — the daughter who disappeared without a trace a decade ago. It struck Karl like a thunderbolt.
"No, it can't be!" A chill ran down his spine as he whispered. "Wait! Hold on a second," Karl stammered, his eyes fixed on the burn scar. "I need to follow you to the hospital. I need to know she's okay...God, this can't be happening. Is she...is she my—"
The paramedics nodded, and Karl hastily followed the ambulance, his mind swirling with a mix of concern and a growing sense of familiarity with the injured girl and the burn scar on her hand. His heart raced, and memories of a distant past flooded his mind.
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Speeding after the ambulance, Karl's hands trembled as he reached for his phone on the seat. He unlocked it and tapped into the gallery with a cherished photo album. A lump formed in his throat upon seeing the picture of his long-lost daughter, Sasha. Tears streamed down Karl's face as he quickly stared at the adorable photo of Sasha blowing her 13th birthday cake.
"Sasha…is it really you? Is this my cruel fate? To see you after so long...but in this condition?" Karl sobbed. The realization dawned on him, and a mixture of hope and fear filled his voice. "That scar... it's the same burn scar. You burnt your hand while making pancakes with your Mom. I used to draw a funny smiley face on that scar, and you used to laugh, saying I was silly. Are you really my daughter? God…did I hit my own daughter with my car?"
Karl's gaze shifted to the ambulance ahead, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. "I never gave up looking for you. You were in the same city, and I had no clue. What happened to you, Sasha? Mom will be so happy to see you…it's been ten years!" Karl's voice quivered. Desperation and disbelief clouded his eyes as he sped behind the ambulance.
"I missed you so much. Your graduation, your laughter. I never stopped hoping you'd come back to us. Had we known you'd leave us, we would've sat you down and told you the truth," Karl continued to cry as the weight of the past bore down on him.
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The ambulance arrived outside the hospital, and the paramedics hurried the girl inside. Karl ran alongside the gurney, the rhythmic thud of his footsteps echoing the turmoil in his heart. He saw the scar on her hand again, closely this time, and cried like a kid.
The very thought of finding his long-lost child in this condition, paired with the fact that he was the one who caused her accident, haunted Karl as he struggled to keep pace. The hospital doors swung open as Sasha was rushed inside the emergency room.
"You're going to be okay...you're going to be okay, dear," Karl nervously whispered as the nurse closed the door before asking him to wait outside.
Karl paced nervously outside the ward where Sasha lay unconscious. The sterile scent of the hospital corridor offered little comfort as he fumbled for his phone, his hands shaking in fear.
With trembling fingers, Karl dialed his wife Anne's number and waited, each ring amplifying the thud of his racing heart. Moments later, Anne answered, her voice laced with worry because Karl had told her he would be home by seven.
"Honey, it's half past seven. Why aren't you home yet?" Anne asked. "Why are you panting? Karl…can you hear me? Say something…Is everything alright?"
"Anne, honey, I…I think we've found her!" Karl blurted out as Anne remained silent.
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A breath caught in her throat on the other end of the line. "Found who, Karl? What's going on?" Her voice quivered with a mix of hope and uncertainty.
"Sasha. Our Sasha," Karl replied, his voice heavy with emotion. "I found her in the most unexpected way. She was hit by my car, Anne, and she's here in the hospital. I can't explain anything right now, but everything—the scar, the resemblance—points to her. The girl in that emergency room in front of me...it's our daughter, Anne. It's got to be our Sasha."
A heavy pause lingered, the weight of the revelation sinking in. Anne's breath hitched, and then a gasp escaped her lips. "Sasha? Oh my God...our Sasha? Are you sure it's her, Karl?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I need you here, Anne. I can barely stand...or sit. I'm so scared to move! She's still unconscious. We need to be with her when she wakes up," Karl urged, his voice laced with urgency and pain.
Anne was a blend of emotions and turmoil the moment Karl said that. "I'll be there, Karl. Hold on...just hold on." She could not muster the courage to speak further and hung up.
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The last ten years had been hell...a nightmare perhaps, without their daughter, who went missing just a week after turning 13. There was not a single place in town where Anne and Karl had not searched for their daughter. But everything had led them to a dead end. Cops, friends, family—no one could help them find their child.
For ten years, the couple lived with fragile hopes of finding their daughter someday. But little did they guess they would find her like this…in a hospital, fighting for her life after being hit by her father's car. Karl paced back and forth outside Sasha's ward, haunted by thoughts as he waited for Anne.
What happened to her? Why was she living on the streets? Why didn't she contact us all these years? Karl pondered as Anne burst into the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Karl, where is she? Where is our daughter?" Anne cried.
"She's inside, Anne. They're doing everything they can for her. They won't let me in to see her. I'm so scared…God, I did this to her! I should've slowed down. I was in a hurry! It's all my fault…but I swear I didn't see her on the road," he finally managed to say, his voice tinged with pain and worry.
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Anne's hands trembled as she clutched Karl's arm, beads of tears rolling down her cheeks. She slowly approached the round see-through glass in front of her and saw a girl lying still on the hospital bed, surrounded by beeping equipment and doctors fixing her stitches.
"Karl...how...how did she end up like this?" The desperation in her voice mirrored the questions swirling in Karl's mind.
"I don't know, Anne. I just don't know," Karl admitted, his gaze fixed on the closed door that separated them from Sasha. Guilt clawed at him, and regret gnawed at his heart. "I was driving home. It was...it was misty," he broke down into tears as he kept repeating the same thing all over again.
Karl's mind involuntarily drifted back in time as they sat in the cold hospital corridor. "I should have been there for her, Anne. I should have listened more, understood better," he whispered, the weight of the past bearing down on him. "Maybe it's my fault she ended up on the streets. Maybe I should've sat her down and explained why we had to hide the truth from her."
Anne, too, was grappling with her share of guilt. "Karl, we both played a part in this. It's not just you. I should've been more patient, more understanding," she confessed, her voice choked with emotion. "I should've listened to you when you told me Sasha wasn't big enough to bear the news. But I...I did this to her by telling her everything. It wasn't just you."
The hospital corridor echoed with Anne's prayers, her tearful pleas to the Almighty to save their child.
"Please, let her be okay. We've waited so long for this day. Don't let it end like this," she cried out, her faith warring with fear. "We want our child back. Please, Jesus, save our daughter. Don't take her away from us again."
Karl, unable to bear the weight of the moment, sank onto a nearby chair. He buried his face in his palms, trying to shut out the guilt, the regret, and the haunting memories of that unforgettable night.
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10 years ago...
It was Sasha's 13th birthday, a day that should have been filled with joy.
"I hope she's still awake!" Anne clutched the box of Sasha's favorite strawberry cream cake tightly. "Oh, she's going to love this. Honey, did you get her the new tablet she wanted?" She followed Karl to Sasha's room with hesitant steps.
"Yup! I'm sure she'll be surprised! I'll give it to her in the morning because I don't want her to sit up all night and strain her eyes!" Karl chirped.
But his smile slowly shifted into unease. He had tried convincing Anne not to break the news, but she had made up her mind to let Sasha know the truth that night. With the heavy cake box in hand, the parents gingerly entered Sasha's room to surprise her.
It was a tradition they held every year— waking Sasha up at midnight on her birthday, showering her with love and joy, and singing Happy Birthday. Little did they know things were just about to be heartbreaking this year and that they would never get to celebrate another birthday like this.
Sasha's dimly lit room was adorned with colorful posters of her favorite K-pop idols and anime characters. Karl sighed as he set the cake with little sparklers on the bedside table. The flickering sparklers cast dancing shadows on the walls, creating an ambiance that felt both warm and ominous.
Anne stood by, her hands trembling as she clutched the wooden box that held the truth they could no longer conceal. "Karl, don't look at me like that. We already talked about it several times. She's getting big and needs to know the truth rather than discover it by herself someday."
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Karl nodded. "I'm not saying anything. The truth is out there in that little box you're holding, Anne. I hope she's mature enough to handle the news," Karl whispered as Anne gently leaned and brushed their daughter's brunette hair.
"Sasha, sweetheart, wake up. It's time for your birthday tradition," Anne whispered, gently shaking Sasha awake. Her eyes fluttered open, and a sleepy smile crept across her face. "Happy Birthday, princess!"
Sasha rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep, and groggily sat up on her bed. Karl and Anne gathered around her with the cake. The familiar hum of "Happy Birthday" filled the room as Sasha made a silent wish and sliced the cake.
"Mom...Dad! I love you so much!" Sasha hugged her parents and fed them each a bite of the cake. "I'm feeling so sleepy. Can I get back to bed? I love you guys."
Sasha was used to this midnight birthday cake-cutting tradition her entire life, and she expected nothing extraordinary this year until Anne sighed and gently pressed her shoulder.
"Wait, Sasha," Anne said, holding out the wooden box. "Before you go back to sleep, we want to tell you something we should've shared long back. But now that you're a big girl, Dad and I thought you must know the truth."
"What truth?" Confusion clouded her eyes as Sasha's gaze shifted from the box to her parents. "What is it? What's in that box, Mom? Is it a gift?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of concern.
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Anne took a deep breath, exchanging a glance with Karl, who wore an expression of profound sorrow. He certainly didn't want Anne to do this. But now, it was too late. Sasha already took the box and started opening it out of curiosity.
"Sweetheart, you're not our biological daughter. We adopted you!" Anne broke the news as a startled Sasha sat back on her bed. Her eyes bulged in shock at seeing the adoption paper in the box. She was too terrified to grasp the revelation.
"Adopted? No, no, no…this has to be a joke. You're kidding, right?" she protested, a nervous smile escaping her lips. "Mom...Dad, why aren't you guys talking? Please tell me it's a joke. It's not funny, guys…cut it."
Karl reached out to comfort her, but Sasha pulled away, her world crumbling with each passing moment. Her smile faded, and her hopes for it to be a joke came crashing down when she saw Karl and Anne just standing there, watching her nervously.
"Why...Why didn't you tell me? Who are my birth parents?" she cried, her voice trembling with anger and hurt. "How could you hide such a big thing from me? Oh my God...where are my biological parents? Why didn't you tell me I was adopted?"
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Sasha experienced a painful emotional outburst. She could not see Karl and Anne the same way again. It felt like a big, bad dream. And it was too electrifying a truth for a 13-year-old who had just stepped into her teens and dreamed of enjoying her adolescence.
"Answer me. Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Sasha yelled.
"It's not that simple, Sasha. We wanted to protect you. We thought the time wasn't right," Karl explained, his eyes pleading for understanding. "But we love you, no matter what. You're still our daughter in every sense that matters. This adoption is just a piece of information on paper that doesn't make a difference in our love for you. We just wanted you to know the truth ahead of time instead of finding it yourself."
Sasha's emotions surged like a turbulent storm. Betrayal, confusion, and a profound sense of loss clashed within her. "Well, too late! You broke my heart! I can't believe you would keep something like this from me all my life," she cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Sasha, sweetie, Karl, and I love you to the moon and back. We chose you! We never considered you as someone else's child—" Anne teared up with fragile hopes of making the girl understand.
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"Stop! Just stop!" Sasha interrupted, her world spinning out of control. The room, once filled with warmth, now felt suffocating. "I hate you! I hate you both! When was I even adopted?" Sasha gazed at the adoption paper.
"You were a baby, honey. When you opened your eyes when I lifted you from the cradle, you saw me...and you smiled, babbling something in your baby language," Anne cried. "I knew you were the one then and there...I just knew it."
"Enough! I don't want to hear another word. I hate you. You cannot be my parents if you didn't give birth to me," Sasha argued and cried, throwing the cake, pillows, books, and blanket. Her emotions were a mess, and she couldn't figure out how to process the news.
"Sasha...honey," Karl approached her.
"Get out of my room! GET OUT! I don't want to see you ever again. Go away!" She screamed and sank on the bed, sobbing bitterly.
Hatred and anger lingered heavily in the air as Karl and Anne stood still, paralyzed with shock. They weren't expecting such an outburst.
"Sasha, honey..." Karl forced himself to talk and try to make his daughter understand. "Family doesn't need to be rooted in blood...only love. And we love you with all our heart and soul."
"Nothing makes sense anymore. I...I'm not yours. I don't have anyone! Please, just...leave me alone!" Sasha yelled as Karl and Anne stepped out of her room.
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The room fell silent, lingering with the echoes of Sasha's shattered world. She collapsed onto her bed, tears streaming down her face, and the weight of the truth settled upon her like a boulder. The cake lay scattered around her bed as Sasha wept bitterly into her pillow.
"I'm so worried now, honey. Will she be okay?" Anne squeezed Karl's hand. "I should've listened to you. I did this. I ruined everything. It's because of me that she—"
"She had to know the truth someday," Karl sighed.
"Will she forgive us? Will things get back to the way they were, Karl? I can't afford to lose our daughter. She's our world...our everything."
Karl and Anne stood in stunned silence outside Sasha's room. The door, now a barrier between them and their daughter, felt like a boundary that could never be crossed again. It was so painful. Their daughter, who loved them beyond the skies and stars, had started resenting them. They exchanged glances, their hearts heavy with the realization of the irreversible damage.
"What have we done, Karl? How did it come to this?" Anne's voice quivered as she whispered. Karl, his eyes mirroring the pain in Anne's heart, could only shake his head. Words were caught in his throat, and his heart was in a million pieces.
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The following morning dawned with a heavy and tense atmosphere. Sasha snapped a selfie with tears streaking down her face, and sent it to her closest friend, Britney, with a message:
'I feel so lonely. I hate them.'
Alarmed by the distress in Sasha's eyes, Britney immediately video-called her to find out. Sasha's tear-streaked face appeared on the screen, and she could not find a reason to stop crying.
"What happened, Sasha? Why are you crying?" Britney pressed her to speak up.
"My parents...They're not my birth parents. I'm adopted, Brit. I had no freaking clue about this until they showed me this weird adoption paper with my name and their names on it last night. They're hiding something about my biological parents. I can't trust them anymore. I want to find my birth parents."
"You need to talk to them, Sasha. Find out what they're hiding. Maybe there's an explanation," Britney replied.
"I asked them. But they wouldn't tell me anything about my real parents."
"Tell you what: Meet me at school. I have a plan," Britney added as Sasha nodded and ended the call.
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Desperate to talk to their daughter and mend their fractured relationship, Karl nervously approached her, despite knowing Sasha would hurl a hate missile at him. "Sasha, honey, let me drop you off at school. We can talk."
"I'm big enough to go on my own. Besides, you're NOT my real father. You don't have the right!" Sasha retorted.
Karl and Anne, now mere spectators to the wreckage of their family, watched Sasha leave, their hearts sinking with each step she took away from them.
Sasha always left chirping 'I love you' and blowing flying kisses to her mother and father. But that day, there were none, which left Karl and Anne beyond broken. Sasha left without saying goodbye.
"What's the plan?" Sasha approached Britney in class.
"Check the attic. That's where some people hide their deepest secrets. Maybe you'll find something about your biological roots," Britney whispered.
Intrigued and desperate for answers, Sasha reluctantly agreed.
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That night, Sasha returned to her room after dinner. The air in the house was thick with tension, and the strained attempts by her parents to initiate a conversation met with severe hatred. They pleaded with her to open up, to give them a chance to explain, but Sasha remained hostile.
"There's nothing to talk about anymore. I hate you," she muttered, slamming the door shut in their faces, leaving her parents heartbroken in the hallway. Anne couldn't contain her tears, and Karl could only console her as they felt the weight of their daughter's pain.
Sasha waited quietly in her room and noticed the lights go off in her parents' bedroom. Grabbing a flashlight, she tiptoed across the silent hallway and climbed up the attic.
Sasha combed through the dusty old boxes and drawers, hoping to find some helpful details that could lead her to her biological roots. She suddenly stumbled upon an old stained document in a drawer.
Her eyes widened in disbelief—it was her birth certificate. Sasha's name was imprinted on the yellowed paper, along with the names of her biological parents. The discovery sent a surge of joy, relief, and shock through her.
Overwhelmed, Sasha clutched the birth certificate to her chest and quietly made her way back to her room. Alone in the dim light, she studied the document, tracing the lines that connected her to a past she had been denied.
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The next day at school, Sasha met Britney. Excitement and anxiety danced in her eyes as she shared her discovery. "Look, Brit, it's my birth certificate. I found it in the attic. It has my bio parents' names on it. I need to find them."
"Sasha, this is something really big you're getting yourself into. We need to figure out how to approach this. You should talk to your parents first. Now that you know your birth parents, you need to ask your adoptive parents for the truth. Tell them you found out everything. Maybe it'll get them to talk and spill out the truth?"
Sasha hesitated, memories of the recent confrontations still fresh in her mind. "I tried, Brit. They won't tell me anything. They're hiding so much, and I can't trust them anymore. What if...what if they keep me in a web of lies...like they've done my entire life? No! I need to figure this out on my own."
Driven to the edge, Sasha hurried home that evening after school, and behind the closed doors of her room, she began searching for her bio parents online.
"Sasha, sweetie, could you please open the door? I need to collect your clothes to put them for a wash," Anne knocked on the door. But Sasha was annoyed and wouldn't open it.
"Go away! Please don't disturb me. My head hurts, and I want to sleep. Leave me alone, okay? That's the least you can do!" She yelled.
Sighing defeatedly, Anne walked away.
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Meanwhile, Sasha spent hours poring over online databases, trying to piece together the puzzle of her biological family. The search was exhausting and emotionally draining, but Sasha was determined.
Suddenly, anxiety and anticipation gripped her as she landed on an online database that hinted at the whereabouts of her place of birth. Sasha was jolted as she scrolled down the information and learned the hospital she was born in was in the same city.
"Oh my God! I found it!"
The next day, despite her friend Britney's disapproval, Sasha decided to face this revelation head-on. She hurried to the hospital and stood there momentarily, scanning the area. Sasha knew she wouldn't be allowed inside without adult supervision. She noticed an old nurse on duty standing at the entrance and approached her.
"Excuse me, Miss, I miss my father so much. I want to see him," Sasha faked tears and showed the nurse her birth certificate, hoping to evoke sympathy.
"The thing is, Dad left Mom and me last week. We tried contacting him, but his phone is still switched off. Mom thinks Dad mostly went to his Grandma's house, where they lived years ago. But Mom lost the address. Can I please check the records? Maybe I could find the address?" Sasha added, glancing at the nurse with big, teary eyes.
"Listen, dear, I cannot allow you to scour through the records without adult supervision and proper permission. It's a lengthy procedure. I'm sorry...I can't help you," the nurse apologetically said.
"Please help me, Miss. Mom is sick, and if we don't find Dad, we'll not be able to pay for her treatment," Sasha faked tears and lied.
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The nurse sighed. Moved by Sasha's agony and innocence, she melted and agreed to take her in to check the records. "I usually don't do this. But it's only for your mother, honey. I'll give you five minutes to check these records," the nurse said and handed Sasha several folders from the year of her birth.
Sasha's heart raced as she combed through the old records, her eyes darting around to find her parents' address. She glanced cautiously, spotting two particular names that matched the ones on her birth certificate. "I think I found it!" she exclaimed and snapped a picture of the details on her phone.
Excited and on the verge of tears, she left the hospital and hurried to the address she had found. But when Sasha got there, an older lady answered the door.
"Excuse me, do Sarah and Henry live here?" She nervously asked.
The older lady glanced up at Sasha, arching her brows suspiciously. "And you are?"
"We're throwing a charity ball in school, and we're inviting all parents...and local residents to the event," Sasha lied. "I heard Sarah and Henry live here. Can I see them?"
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"Sarah and Henry...uhm..." the older lady thought deeply. "I'm sorry, dear. I don't know about Henry. But Sarah sold this house to me over a decade ago."
The revelation hit Sasha like a bolt of lightning. She composed herself and held back her tears as the crimson on her face turned pale. "Do you have her address?"
"No."
"Do you have at least something of her so I can find her? A phone number...photo...something. Anything."
"I do have an old picture. Give me a minute," the older lady said, returning moments later with an old photograph. "Here's the picture, dear. But how will you find her by just using this old photo?"
Tears rose in Sasha's eyes as she clutched the old picture and stood still. This has to be my long-lost mother, she thought, regret and pain brewing an emotional storm within.
"Thank you so much. I'll never forget your help!" she told the older lady and hurried home to check all the online databases and social media platforms she knew of.
Among the myriad online profiles, Sasha stumbled upon a woman who matched the one in the photo she had. The social media profile showcased pictures of the lady in her early thirties with a little boy.
"Mom!" Sasha gasped, words stuck in her throat.
Her heart skipped a beat as she imagined reconnecting with her biological roots, and the prospect of having a little brother filled her with excitement.
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"Brit, I think I found my bio Mom! Look, this has to be her. And I might have a little brother. Isn't it amazing? I want to see them. But these people won't allow me. So I'm going to sneak out to meet my mother...and brother!" Sasha excitedly shared her discovery with Britney that night.
"Sasha, are you sure about this? Running away on Thanksgiving? Are you kidding? What if it doesn't go as planned? You're looking for a needle in a haystack."
"I have to try, Brit. Maybe my bio Mom would be happy to see me and have me back. I can't live like this anymore. I need to know more about my biological family," Sasha said, brimming with hope.
Sasha decided to run away the following day and packed her backpack with the essentials and money she stole from Karl's wallet. Karl and Anne were in their room, unaware of Sasha's secret plan and how painful it was going to be for them.
It was Thanksgiving morning. Anne knocked on Sasha's door, but her calls went unanswered. She started to panic and called out to Karl. "She's not opening the door. I'm worried," Anne cried.
"Step back," Karl said as he broke open the door with all the force he could muster, only to freeze in shock upon barging inside.
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"Karl, what is it? Why aren't you saying anything? Karl?" Anne nervously walked in, almost on the verge of dropping to her knees at finding the bedroom empty.
A note held in place by a small paperweight fluttered on the bed. The window was wide open, and there was no sign of Sasha. Karl shakily picked up the note, tears brimming in his eyes as Anne snatched it from him, her heart pounding at the words:
"Gone to find my real family. Don't bother looking for me. I don't want to be with you anymore. - Sasha."
Anne burst into tears. A lump rose in her throat as she fell near Karl's feet and cried. The parents were shaken. They immediately rushed to the police station and filed a missing child report. But by then, Sasha was already on a bus that would take her a long way to her biological mother, Sarah.
The journey was long, and Sasha's mind raced with thoughts of what awaited her as she clung to her backpack and sat by the window.
What if Mom rejects me? What if the family I yearned for doesn't want me back? Sasha pondered. No, Mom will not hate me. I know she'll come running to me...hug me...and kiss me as soon as she finds out I'm her daughter.
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After what felt like an eternal journey on wheels, Sasha arrived in the city mentioned in her mother's profile. She hailed a taxi with the money she'd stolen from Karl's wallet the previous night and cautiously approached the address.
The sight of the large, luxurious mansion sent shivers down her spine. Sasha took a deep breath, rang the doorbell, and waited, her heart pounding in her chest like a trapped bird.
Moments later, the door creaked open, and a woman resembling the one in the online profile picture appeared. She was Sarah. Sasha's eyes brimmed with tears, but she held them back. She couldn't bring herself to speak and stood still, watching her biological mother's fine features, beautiful gray eyes, curly hair, and immaculate smile.
"Can I help you?" Sarah broke the silence, confusion, and suspicion in her eyes.
Tears rose in Sasha's eyes as she stammered, "My name is Sasha. I'm from a neighboring town in Boston. And I... I think you might be my biological mother. I found out about you online using your name on my birth certificate...Mom!"
Sarah's eyes widened in shock as Sasha continued, "I saw your pictures and your full name online. I even managed to find your address…I thought you would be happy to see me. I also bought a little gift for my little brother. I saw his picture, too."
Sarah rushed inside and immediately grabbed her phone. "Come down...hurry. We might have a problem. The girl from Boston…she is here," she told someone.
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Meanwhile, Sasha gingerly entered the lavish mansion and was awestruck by the luxury and extravagant atmosphere. It had to be someone's birthday or wedding, as the villa was decorated grandly. As Sasha basked in the rich ambiance, an angry and cold voice snapped at her.
"Who the hell allowed you to come inside?" Sarah barked. Sasha stood still, stunned by her anger. She trembled with anxiety. This was not the kind of reaction she had come prepared for.
"Get out of my house. OUT!" Sarah declared, pointing at the door.
"But Mom...I'm your biological daughter. Have you forgotten me? Didn't you place me for adoption after I was born? I recently discovered I was adopted. I found out about you and Dad on my birth certificate, and—"
"ENOUGH! Not a word more, or I'll have to deal with you differently, do you understand?" Sarah barked.
She immediately called her housekeepers, instructing them to throw Sasha out of the premises. Overwhelmed by her mother's reaction, she stood still, shocked and in tears.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
Rebecca, Sarah's sister, rushed downstairs and intervened. "Hold on, let's not be too hasty. What's going on?" she asked, feigning sympathy.
"I thought Sarah was my mother. I found her online and came a long way from Boston to meet her. But she—" Sasha cried.
"Oh, sweetheart, you must be mistaken. You shouldn't have left your adoptive parents and come here. Sarah is not your mother," Rebecca said as Sarah gestured for her to take the girl outside.
"Hurry before he returns home. We can't afford to have this girl ruin everything for us. Send her away!" Sarah whispered to Rebecca, who quickly grabbed Sasha's arm and led her outside.
"Listen, honey, Sarah is my sister. She has only one child, a son named Jake, who is eight years old. I think you've got the wrong address...and you shouldn't be hanging around here, okay?" Rebecca told Sasha, who couldn't stop crying.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
"What do you mean? I saw her pictures online. Her name and my mother's name are the same. Her last name on the profile matched my mother's last name on my birth certificate. How can she not be my real mother?" Sasha cried.
Rebecca cut her off. "No, dear. There must be some confusion. Let me help you. I think I might know who you're looking for. Here's the address of a woman who I think might know about your mother, honey. Go meet her, and please, never come back here."
Stunned and heartbroken, Sasha left the mansion with the address clutched tightly in her hand. She felt lost and desperate for answers, the pain of rejection from the one she thought was her mother cutting deep.
The truth seemed to slip further away, leaving Sasha in a state of confusion and sorrow as she hailed a taxi and left for the address on the paper.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash
Moments later, Rebecca grabbed her phone. "A young girl around thirteen will be visiting. I don't care what you do or how you do it…but I don't want her visiting my sister again," she instructed someone.
"Has she left? Good gracious! I almost got caught," Sarah rushed outside and sighed with relief. "She would have cost me years of my wealthy life. Damn, that little girl!"
"Don't worry, Sarah! Your estranged daughter will not return here again! You can count on me. Let's hurry up...your husband must be on his way home from work. Quick, we need to finish setting up his birthday bash. Remember, that's how we're gonna get him to take us on that lavish cruise," Rebecca said as the sisters chuckled and hurried inside.
Sasha's heart raced as she exited the taxi. She found herself in a dimly lit alley, its narrow path flanked by walls adorned with dirty graffiti and swear words a 13-year-old girl shouldn't be seeing.
Flickering street lights lined the deserted road. Overflowing trash cans were scattered along the alley, and stray dogs were curled up on the curbs. The air was thick with tension and danger, mirroring Sasha's growing anxiety as she ventured further into the shady neighborhood.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
She walked past a group of tough-looking guys bearing creepy tattoos of skulls, reptiles, and weird things on their bodies. They were engaged in hushed conversations about places and things Sasha couldn't fathom.
She put on a brave face and hurried past them, hoping they wouldn't notice. But her fear heightened when one of the guys whistled and alerted his buddies to look.
"Man, look at what we've got! A lost little girl…all alone!" he chuckled, looking at Sasha from top to bottom.
"Where do you think you're going, princess?" another laughed. "Looking for a little help to get somewhere? We can help, gorgeous!"
"No, I can go by myself," Sasha sternly dismissed while trying to hide her anxiety and fear. She walked faster as the guys shared a laugh over a derogatory comment.
Sasha mustered courage and knocked on the door of a particular house at the edge of the street. A woman with creepy goth makeup, black lipstick and clothes opened the door.
"Hi, my name is Sasha. Do you...do you know Sarah? Her last name is Seyfried. Do you know her?" Sasha stammered, holding back her tears. She thought the woman standing in front of her knew her biological mother.
"Yes!" The woman smiled, staring intensely into her eyes.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
"Sarah is my biological mother!" Sasha naively showed the birth certificate to the woman, whose name was Victoria. "Do you have her address?"
"Oh, darling! Of course...come in!" Victoria invited Sasha inside and slammed the door shut. Inside, Sasha saw two guys on the couch, smoking and drinking while staring at her from top to toe. She was scared and nervous.
"Just give me a minute, honey...I'll be right back," Victoria walked away, quickly grabbing her phone and disappearing into a dingy room. Sasha nodded. Moments later, she quietly approached the room and overheard Victoria talking to someone on the phone.
"Everything's under control. The girl is with me. She thinks I know her mother...silly little girl! Oh, you don't have to worry about that. My boys will take care of her...and make sure she never returns to your mansion!"
"Y-You don't know my biological mother?" Sasha asked the woman, stunned by the revelation.
Victoria burst into a giddy laugh and broke the news. "Oh, you finally found out, you silly girl?! I'm Victoria. And I'm here to make sure you keep your little mouth shut!"
Fear and anxiety gripped Sasha like icy fingers. Run, Sasha, run! Alarm bells rang in her head. But she decided not to until unraveling why her own mother wanted to get rid of her. Sasha knew Victoria knew the answers to those questions.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
"Why are you doing this to me? Were you talking to my mother?" she pleaded.
Victoria laughed, a cold, heartless sound that sent shivers down Sasha's spine. "Mother? Who, Sarah? Well, of course, she's your mother, honey—a mother who hates her estranged daughter! A mother who never wanted her baby!"
Tears welled up in Sasha's eyes as confusion and fear mingled within her.
"Your 'mother' has a rich husband who has no clue she already had a daughter from a little fling with one of our boys in the gang. If her husband finds out, he'll leave her to rot on the streets in a heartbeat. So, she and her lovely sister, Rebecca, decided to get rid of you to keep your mouth shut."
Sasha's world crumbled with each word.
"And guess where your real father is?" Victoria sneered. "In jail! Pathetic, isn't it? Your loving adoptive parents, Karl and Anne, aren't they the ones who adopted you after Sarah refused to take you in after giving birth to you and abandoned you at an orphanage? Rebecca just told me everything!"
"You were one lucky abandoned baby to reach the cozy nest of your wealthy adoptive parents! Your whole life has been one big lie. Let me tell you, honey. You made a BIG mistake by leaving your parents. I pity you, poor thing! You're not gonna live to regret any of it!"
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay
The truth hit Sasha like a tidal wave, leaving her gasping for air. Regret washed over her, realizing the love she got from Karl and Anne and the happiness she had always known were more genuine than the elusive connection she had sought.
I need to go back. I need to go back to my real parents, Karl and Anne, Sasha murmured as she quietly turned around and bolted to the door and out of the house.
The menacing figures of Victoria's gang closed in. "She's trying to run! Don't let her get away!" Victoria shouted.
The narrow alley became a labyrinth of terror as Sasha darted between trash bins and stray dogs, her heart pounding in her ears. The men chased her relentlessly as Sasha whirled across the unfamiliar lane.
Sasha's breaths came in ragged gasps as she ran, the dimly lit alley now a nightmarish maze. Her mind raced with thoughts of Karl and Anne, the parents who had loved and cared for her...the parents she had abandoned and hated in a heartbeat.
Sasha managed to slip through a gap in the alley, escaping into the unknown streets beyond. She had no clue of where she was going and which way to head. Alone, scared, and carrying the heavy weight of truth, Sasha decided to find her way back home and kept running, hoping to find a bus station or taxi stand.
Sasha raced down the streets, her breaths heavy and erratic. The last thing she heard was the gory sounds of screeching tires and crunching metal. In the blink of an eye, her life was plunged into darkness when a speeding motorcycle hit her.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Shutterstock
When Sasha regained consciousness, she found herself in a sterile hospital room. The antiseptic scent stung her nose, and the harsh, fluorescent lights made her head throb.
Confusion clouded her thoughts, and as she tried to piece together her identity, realization struck—she had no memory of who she was.
A kind volunteer, touched by Sasha's plight after seeing her begging for alms on the streets, arranged for her to grow up in a shelter.
The days turned into years, and Sasha, facing the harsh realities of shelter life, eventually ran away, finding herself living on the unforgiving streets, with no memories of her name and identity.
For illustration purposes only | Source: YouTube / DramatizeMe
Present day...
"Karl, the doctor is here," Anne jolted Karl, who was lost in deep thought about Sasha's 13th birthday night. His heart pounded as he rushed to the doctor.
"Is she okay, doctor? I'm ready to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for her treatment. Please tell us our daughter is fine. Can we see her?" He anxiously asked.
"She's regained consciousness. You can see her, Mr. Felix!" the doctor replied with a confident smile.
Anne clung to the fragile thread of hope, her eyes reflecting the years of agony as she gingerly followed Karl inside the ward. "Please, let her be okay. Let her remember us," she whispered as she clutched Karl's arm from behind, her heart racing like birds trapped in a cage.
"Sasha, sweetheart, we're here for you," Karl nervously approached the bedside.
"We never stopped looking for you. Never!" Anne gingerly cupped Sasha's hand, tears springing from her eyes. "Where were you all these years, darling? We could never forgive ourselves for ruining your childhood...for not finding you. We're so sorry..."
Sasha's eyes fluttered open, the room slowly coming into focus. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw Karl and Anne, both slightly gray-haired and with early wrinkles, standing nearby.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
"Dad? Mom?" Sasha's voice cracked.
A surge of emotions engulfed Karl and Anne. They burst into tears, clinging to Sasha's hands, and wept bitterly.
"We missed you so much, Sasha," Anne cried.
Karl and Anne held Sasha tightly, their hearts breaking and healing simultaneously. "Everybody gave up looking for you, sweetie. But Dad and I didn't. Somewhere in my heart, I knew you would come back to us. I just knew it! Karl, God exists. Miracles are true!" Anne smiled through her sobs.
Overwhelmed with love and gratitude, Sasha realized that love didn't need genetics to bind hearts together.
"Mom...Dad...I had met with an accident all those years ago that cost so many years of my life. I don't remember anything that happened while I was away...but I now know you're my family. And that's all that matters!" Sasha hugged her parents and cried.
"We love you, sweetie," Karl and Anne chorused, shedding only tears of joy that moment.
"I'm sorry for saying all that I said all those years ago...I'm sorry for hurting you. I don't want to go into those dark chapters of my life. I'm grateful to you for giving me a family...love...and affection that my own parents denied. They're not my parents anymore. YOU ARE!" Sasha broke the silence
Love and silent sobs of relief and joy lingered in the ward as Karl, Anne, and Sasha coiled into a warm, hearty hug. "I love you both so much. Let's go home once my treatment is over!" Sasha added as Karl happily grabbed his phone and called his secretary.
"Geraldine, my wife and I have finally found something we've been looking for our entire lives. We want to celebrate this moment with our daughter's favorite strawberry cream cake! Hurry up...we'll be waiting in the City Hospital!"
For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images
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Rich businessman Caleb sees a familiar scar on his janitor and recognizes his late mother, who had supposedly died 28 years ago. When a DNA test reveals their connection, Caleb sets out to seek answers from his father. Here's the full story.
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