I Saw My Mother-in-Law Sneak Into Our Nursery at Night and Put Something in My Baby’s Mouth — Story of the Day

I had to act fast when I saw that my mother-in-law, Elaine, had snuck into the nursery and was placing a DNA swab in my baby's mouth. I sneaked out of bed, ensuring my husband didn't wake up, and rushed down the hallway, desperate to stop Elaine from exposing my secret.

My child Oliver's cries woke me up in the middle of the night. I checked the baby monitor, blinking rapidly, and saw Elaine, my mother-in-law, leaning over his crib with something in her hand. But it wasn't a baby bottle or a pacifier.

My heart raced—it was a cotton swab, like the ones used for DNA samples, and once my sleep fog cleared, I immediately knew her plan. She was about to uncover our carefully hidden secret. I rushed to our nursery, not caring about my ugly pajamas.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, stopping her. "You have no right, Elaine!"

She turned to me, pursing her lips at being caught. "I have every right, Sarah. I'm his grandmother... aren't I?" she challenged, her voice cold.

"You... of course you are! But how dare you invade our privacy like this?" I stuttered, angry and confused. But Elaine insisted that she was entitled to know Oliver's origins to see if he deserved the family name and inheritance.

I demanded the swab from her, raising my hand. "Give me the DNA swab, Elaine. This is no way to repay our kindness."

She reluctantly handed it over after a few seconds. "This isn't over," she muttered between tight lips before leaving. I comforted Oliver, who was trembling from being woken up and hearing angry people.

I was determined to protect him, but Elaine's determination loomed over us. How would I shield our family from what was coming?

The morning sun filled the kitchen with warmth as I reflected on the night's events. David walked in after a few minutes and noticed my distress. "Hey," he said, sitting beside me, "What's wrong?"

"I caught your mom in Oliver's room last night... with a DNA swab," I confessed, the frustration evident in my voice. "She's questioning if Oliver is really a part of this family."

David's brows lowered. "She did what? Sarah, we've been through so much to keep our secret. Why would she do this now?"

"We need to do something, David. If she gets that DNA test, it could unravel everything," I said, biting my bottom lip.

"We'll talk to her," David suggested, his voice steady but filled with unease. "Maybe we can convince her there's nothing to worry about without revealing too much."

"But what if she doesn't believe us? What if she already suspects the truth?" I countered, feeling my chest get tight.

Suddenly, Elaine stormed into the kitchen, her eyes blazing with anger. "So, you've been talking about me," she accused, her eyes wide and lips tightening as usual.

David tried to intervene. "Mom, it's not what you think—"

Elaine cut him off, her gaze fixed on me with cold accusation. "I know you've been lying, Sarah. And I found the proof," she said, gesturing to the cotton swab I had left on the table.

My husband stood firm. "Mom, Sarah hasn't done anything wrong. You can't just barge in here and accuse her without any proof."

Elaine was unyielding. "I'm telling you, David, she's not who you think she is. That boy is not your son," she declared.

"Enough, Mom!" he snapped. "Sarah is my wife, and Oliver is my son. If you can't accept that, then maybe you shouldn't be here."

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran from their fighting to the nursery. That's where my husband found me a few minutes later, with tears drying on my cheeks. He knelt before me, wrapping his arms around me.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured, his voice muffled against my shoulder.

"Your mom's accusations... I just couldn't handle it," I managed to say between sniffles.

David stroked my hair. "Don't apologize. I told her she needed to find a new place to live."

Despite the relief, I felt uneasy about Elaine's departure. "She's your mom, David. We should help her," I said weakly.

David kissed my forehead. "Nobody gets to disrespect you, not even my mom."

I smiled as warmth filled my belly. But after he left for work, panic set in—I had forgotten the cotton swab on the kitchen table. On rushing back, I found it was gone.

***

The next morning, during a tense breakfast, David and I decided to reveal a portion of our truth to Elaine. "We've had a tough time starting a family," David started, squeezing my hand for support.

"We went through treatments, none successful. Then we had a miscarriage," I added, my voice breaking.

Elaine looked shocked. "I had no idea it was so serious. Why didn't you tell me, David?" She went on to talk about a fertility doctor she knew in New York. But David said we had seen one, which led to Oliver's arrival. It wasn't exactly the truth, but we didn't want to tell her more.

Elaine's face showed confusion and a little mistrust still, but David's voice was unwavering. "Oliver is my son, Mom. It's time you accepted that."

Her stance softened, but I knew she wasn't entirely convinced, especially because of her next words. "It's not Oliver I have a problem with," she claimed and excused herself, mentioning a realtor appointment.

David and I were left contemplating our decision. "Did we do the right thing?" I asked, seeking reassurance in his eyes.

He shrugged. "I don't know, Sarah, but it's done. We can only hope it was enough to deter her."

"What about the DNA swab? Elaine took it. If she tests it..." I trailed off, dread tightening my chest.

David kissed my cheek reassuringly. "She needs my DNA, too, and she won't get it. How about we enjoy some alone time now?"

His suggestion lifted my spirits momentarily until Oliver's cry cut through our plans. "I'll go check on him," David smiled, heading to the nursery.

***

Hours later, Elaine stormed into the living room, waving an envelope. "The DNA results are here!" she announced.

David and I watched in horror as she opened it and read the document. We didn't even have time to question when or how she got my husband's DNA as her eyes scanned the results. Her face changed immediately.

"Oliver is David's half-brother," she accused, her voice full of contempt. "You piece of trash! You slept with my husband!" Elaine stalked toward me, her hands raised as if to grab my hair.

"I didn't!" I protested, dodging her advance. "It's a mistake."

Elaine continued her tirade, convinced of my betrayal, but David intervened. "Mom, stop! Sarah didn't do this," he defended me.

She wouldn't give up. "It's the only way we would get this result!

"Oliver is adopted," David declared.

She stopped momentarily, her mouth gaping.

"Biologically speaking, Oliver shouldn't be related to either of us," I added, placing a hand on David's shoulder and gazing up at him. "How is this possible?"

"The test must be wrong," my husband suggested, but Elaine shook her head. She told us she had sent it to the best place in the country.

Her eyes darted to the results again before she questioned our decision to adopt in secret and why we didn't tell her the truth the other day. We explained our fear of her rejection. After a while, she apologized but still seemed shaken.

I decided to give my husband and his mother some space to reconcile. "I'll take Oliver out," I offered.

As I prepared to leave, David and I shared a small kiss, uncertain how to navigate the revelations about Oliver's DNA.

"We'll figure it out. His parentage never mattered to us before, honey," I assured him as I left. But I had already considered what to do while Elaine was still processing the information.

My mother-in-law had commented something the other day about not trusting me, and women don't usually accuse someone of that...unless they're already suspicious.

***

At my father-in-law's door, holding Oliver in his stroller, I waited for him to answer. Cameron was surprised to see me with the baby but without David.

"Sarah? And Oliver, too! What brings you here?" he asked.

"I need to talk, not about baseball this time," I said, stepping inside.

In his living room, I laid out everything—our struggles, the adoption, and the confrontation with Elaine. "She did a DNA test," I explained. "The results... Cameron, they indicate you're Oliver's father."

Cameron was shocked. His face went through many emotions in one minute, but there was never any denial. Still, I waited for him to speak.

"There was a woman," he confessed at last. "I paid her... to get rid of the baby."

My jaw hit the floor. "So, it's true?" I pressed.

Cameron nodded, remorse evident. "Sarah, I didn't know she kept the baby," he mumbled. "I don't know how to make this right for our family."

***

Leaving my father-in-law's home, I sought solace in the park, contemplating our next steps. "Where do we go from here?" I wondered aloud, watching Oliver play. I didn't want Cameron's past actions to forever cast a dark cloud on our family.

Sadly, the park's normalcy offered no answers. Should I share his confession with David and Elaine? Could the truth, however painful, pave the way for healing, or would it only deepen the wounds?

As the sun set, I realized that honesty was the only way forward despite the risks. Our family's foundation needed to be built on truth, however difficult it might be to face.

***

David sat in the living room, quiet and contemplative in the fading light as I walked into our house. "Honey," I said, trying to steady my voice, "I talked to your father today. He confirmed everything about Oliver."

He looked up, his face troubled. "So, Oliver is actually my half-brother," he whispered, rubbing his chin. "What do we do now?"

I explained Cameron's confession, watching David absorb each detail. "He's still our son," I reminded him, sitting beside him and putting a hand on his knee.

But David got up and began to pace. "This changes everything. But you're right. He's still the son I love." He paused and faced me. "We can't change what happened, but we can choose how to move forward."

"We need to talk to Elaine about this," I warned.

David agreed with a nod, but I saw him gulping.

When Elaine joined us, her posture was tense. "What do you need to tell me?" she asked. David gestured for me to speak.

"I went to see Cameron," I started. "He was honest about everything. Oliver is his son."

Elaine's tense posture eased as if I had only confirmed what she already knew. Her shoulders sagged, and her eyes filled with tears. Her following words, though, surprised me.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," she said. "I've been terrible to you and our family. My actions and suspicions have hurt us all."

David and I shared a glance of disbelief. This was a new side of her.

"We all make mistakes, Elaine," I said. "But we're trying our best. We're also learning to accept things and move forward."

Elaine began to cry. I knelt before her, offering a hand of reconciliation. "Can we move on and become the family that supports and celebrates together?"

Her faint smile offered a glimmer of hope. "That sounds wonderful, Sarah," she said, sniffing. "But I hope you can help me get a divorce lawyer, too?"

I laughed. That was her decision, but I knew that even if she and Cameron didn't make it, she would still love Oliver as her grandson now and forever...it was meant to be.

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