He gave her money to get an abortion. Ten years later, what transpired will shock you.
Mary Smith was the only child of her parents, and they were proud of her. They reared her with love and discipline in a small two-room house on the edge of town. The Smiths weren’t rich, but they were financially comfortable. They made sure Mary got the education they never had by running small enterprises and doing some farming. They clapped their exhausted, proud hands with every grade card and graduation photo, hoping that one day she would break the cycle of family poverty. And she almost did it.
Mary got her degree with honors. It was the best day of her parents’ lives.
But the truth was challenging after graduation.
There weren’t many job opportunities, and the bills weren’t going to wait. Mary finally found a job as a waiter in a fancy restaurant in Abuja after months of looking. She wore her apron with style and greeted clients with pleasant smiles and a quiet, polite voice. She was not the same.
Customers even noticed. Sam Williams came into her life at that time.
Sam, the spoiled only son of the rich Williams family, strolled into the restaurant like he owned the place. A gold chain that hangs down, fashionable shoes, and a large ego. He was known for courting girls and then dumping them like used napkins. When he saw Mary at the front desk, he smiled his trademark smile.
“He told her what to do, and she did it.”
He said, “Nice smile,” without thinking. “Can I get your number?””
Mary thought for a moment. There was something about him that appeared menacing, but his charm was unsettling. She jotted down his number on the back of a receipt even though she knew it was wrong.
Sam sent her sweet texts and called her all the time after that.
He said, “You’re not like other girls.”
“I believe I’ve found the woman of my dreams.”
Mary’s heart, which was pure and full of hope, began to soften. He asked her to come to his mansion weeks later.
She couldn’t believe how lovely it was. The mansion featured mirrors with gold frames, marble flooring, and art on every wall.
“This could be your life,” Sam said quietly as he showed her around.
They slept together that night. He then sat up in bed and looked down at her.
“So you were a virgin?””
Mary nodded, and her eyes filled with tears.
Wow.
She rose up, walked over to her purse, and without saying a word, put a bunch of money inside. Her heart fell.
“Do you love me, Sam?
He kissed her on the cheek.
He murmured something vague, such as, “You’re special,” before departing.
It became a habit. He would come over, they would sleep together, and then he would leave money as if she were a prostitute.
Mary held on to the false hope that he would get engaged one day. That they loved each other.
Mary woke up one morning feeling disoriented. She went to the doctor’s office.
“Congratulations,” the nurse said with a smile. You’re going to have a baby.
Mary laughed.
A baby.
Sam would be thrilled.
She thought she had finally found a place to stay.
We would be a family. She rushed home and called him.
“Sam, I have some wonderful news. Are you able to come?”
He came in his typical showy way. She held him close.
“Guess what?” “Here,” she said, giving him an envelope that was sealed.
He opened it, read it, and scowled.
“You’re going to have a baby.” By whom?“
Mary blinked.
“What do you mean?””
“Of course, by you.”
Then Sam’s words grew chilly, and they would destroy her heart forever.
As Sam’s eyes narrowed, Mary’s smile steadily disappeared.
“You’re pregnant.”
“By whom?” He said it again, this time louder.
Mary’s voice trembled as she said, “From you.” “Sam, you’re the only man I’ve ever been with. You’re going to become a dad.
Sam looked at her like he didn’t know her.
“No, it can’t be.” This has to be a joke.
Mary’s heart was racing.
“Sam, why would I joke about something so serious?”
Sam pulled a handful of cash from his pocket and threw it across the room in silence.
The bills were all over the floor, like bits of his broken dreams.
“Take that.” Use it. “Get rid of it,” he growled.
Mary blinked in shock.
“Are you asking me to terminate the pregnancy?”
Sam gave a shrug.
“I gave you money every time.” You were meant to wear protection. What were you doing with all that cash?”
“Putting money aside for a baby shower.”
She started to cry.
“Sam, you told me you loved me. You took my virginity. I gave you everything.
“And now you want to kill our child.”
Sam got up.
“I never said I wanted a kid.” I never said I wanted you to be with me forever. Mary, this isn’t about you. This is how life is. My parents would never tolerate someone like you.”
Mary fell onto the couch and cried.
“You’re heartless.”
He turned to the door and replied, “That’s your problem.” “I’m not going to ruin my life for a poor girl’s dream.” “Goodbye.”
The door banged shut. Be quiet.
Mary sat there crying, gripping her stomach like it was the only thing she had left.
That night, she packed her bags and went back to her parents’ house.
When her father, Mr. Smith, opened the door, he was surprised to see her crying. She sank to her knees.
“Dad, I’m going to have a baby.”
Her mom gasped.
“Are you pregnant? Mary? How?”
Mary told them everything, including the most painful parts.
His mom cried.
His father turned aside and tightened his jaw.
“I thought we taught you better,” he replied in a low voice. “But what’s done is done.”
“We won’t throw you out.” But I need to talk to his mom and dad.
Maybe they don’t know what their son did.
The next day, they all went to the Williams house. First, Sam’s mom departed. Tall, graceful, and picky.
“Get her pregnant, my son,” she said in a mocking tone. “Not possible.”
Mr. Smith spoke in a calm voice.
“Please, ma’am. We aren’t here to fight. We want peace and to be responsible.
Someone called Sam outside.
He scowled when he saw Mary.
“I don’t know her.”
Mary’s eyes got bigger.
“What?””
His mom laughed.
“Of course, she’s trying to trap you in her bad life.” Come on.
Mr. Smith’s hands shook.
“God will decide.”
Finally, Sam’s dad, who had been observing without saying anything, spoke.
“Take the baby home, and then we’ll test the DNA.”
Mary held on to her pride and left with her parents.
But she made a choice that night.
She would keep her child, not for Sam, but for herself, for hope, for strength, and for every woman who has ever been hurt by deception.
Mary went home with red, swollen eyes and the shame still ringing in her ears. Sam’s refusal, her mother’s branding of her as a thief, and her feeling like a miserable mouse trying to get her child weighed heavily on her.
But her parents were there for her, even though they were quite disappointed. Her dad didn’t talk much. He just walked into her room, sat down in the ancient wooden chair, and looked out the window.
Mary’s mother, on the other hand, kept her close.
She muttered, “You made a mistake.” “But this youngster, this child, is not guilty. “We will get through this.”
As the weeks went by, Mary’s belly started to show, and so did the neighbors’ whispers. People who went to church started to pull away. Friends stopped calling. People pointed and murmured even at the local market.
“She went to school to end up like this.”
“She caught a rich man and failed.”
“She earned it.”
Mary did all of that with her head down until one day she stopped.
No more humiliation. She was going to be proud of how she raised her baby.
She wrote, “Even if the world doesn’t want us, you and I will write a different story.”
Then something unexpected happened. One calm afternoon, someone she knew went into the restaurant where she worked.
The father of Sam.
He got a drink and observed her from afar.
Mary didn’t know until she turned to help a customer and stopped.
“Are you the father of Sam?” “she said softly.
He nodded.
“And you are Mary?” She swallowed, not sure what would happen next.
“I came to see you.” I’ve been thinking about the time you came to our place.
I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t like how my son acted or how his mother treated him. Mary looked down.
“I saw how you work,” she said. “You don’t act like someone who is after money.” You treat everyone with respect. You made me think of my wife, who used to be like you before she got rich.
He stopped.
“I believe in you, Mary, but I need to be certain.”
We’ll do a DNA test when the baby is born. In the interim, I’ll send help every month. “Not out of pity, but because it’s the right thing to do.”
Tears clouded Mary’s eyes.
“Thank you, sir.”
She wrote in her journal again that night.
Maybe not all hearts are nasty. Maybe grace can still find me.
The months went rapidly.
The pain of labor hit me like a storm. Her parents took her to the hospital right away. A loud cry rang out in the delivery room hours later. He was a boy, and he looked precisely like Sam. No one had to take a DNA test. It was very clear that he and Sam resembled each other.
But she got one nonetheless. The outcome was favorable. Sam is the real father.
Sam’s dad cradled the boy in his arms.
“I’ll call him James.”
Mary smiled, but it wasn’t forceful.
Hope didn’t feel so far away for the first time in a long time.
Mary took baby James in her arms and cried.
But this time, they weren’t tears of humiliation. They were tears of love, of being alive, and of winning.
Sam’s father was at the hospital with her, looking down at the baby, who looked so much like his son.
“He has your eyes,” he added in a quiet voice. “But that fire in his eyes, that’s all yours.”
Mary gave a feeble smile.
“I wasn’t sure I could do this, but now I can’t picture my life without him.”
Sam’s dad nodded.
“You’ve done more than most women in your situation, and you’ve done it with grace.”
He took a deep breath and kept going.
“I want to help.”
I’m not just talking about baby food and diapers. I mean a real beginning. Think about a business you’ve always wanted to own. Please send me a proposal. “Let’s make something real for you and this kid.”
Mary was very surprised.
—Lord, I don’t know what to say.
Tell them to stay strong. Tell them you won’t give up.
Mary lay in bed that night with James wrapped up next to her.
Her heart said prayers. She couldn’t say anything.
There was nothing wrong with this infant. It was her second chance.
Mary started designing her ideal restaurant weeks later, when she was back at her parents’ house, which had just been painted owing to Sam’s father’s help.
She had always been proficient at cooking. Her mother taught her how to make unique foods with strong tastes and a special touch.
She called her proposal “Mary’s Taste of Home.” She didn’t expect much when she sent it by email. But three days later, they got a response:
Okay. Let’s get going.
They bought the land. The design was lovely and simple. Everything was done well, from the equipment to the crew to the branding.
When Mary’s Taste of Home finally opened its doors, many people came to visit. Her food was more than just a meal.
It was a narrative of strength. The smell of grace and the taste of survival were in every dish.
People came not just to eat but also to meet the young woman who had turned her sadness into optimism.
James got stronger and happier, and people often saw him taking his first steps around the restaurant, greeting customers who loved him.
Mary was now a mother, a company owner, and a role model for others in the community.
But just as things were starting to get better, reality reminded her that tranquility isn’t always there to stay.
Life has moved on since Mary last saw Sam ten years ago.
She assumed that was the case until a call changed everything.
Sam’s father had been in a tragic accident.
He was in a coma for weeks, and the doctors didn’t know if he would live.
But one morning, he woke up.
He told the nurse, “Give me my phone.”
His wife or son was not the first person he called. Mary did it.
Mary showed up at the hospital hours later. She walked inside the room softly, her heart racing, not knowing what would happen.
Sam’s mom’s eyes got big when she saw her.
“Why are you here?” “she hissed. You also came to kill my husband.
Sam came in before Mary could say anything, and his expression twisted with rage as he saw her.
He growled, “You again.” “Get out of here.” You don’t have the right.
“Stop it,” a feeble voice said from across the room.
Everyone looked at Sam’s dad, who was now slowly getting out of bed.
“I called her,” he said with authority. “Let her in.”
It was quiet. Sam’s face changed from confused to shocked.
Sam’s dad looked at his son with disappointment in his eyes.
“Say you’re sorry,” he said. “Ask her to forgive you, or you’ll be sorry for the rest of your life.”
“What?” “Sam sneered. “Do you want me to say I’m sorry to this poor girl from the village?””
His dad smiled a little.
“Sam, she’s not poor anymore.” She runs one of the biggest restaurants in this city. You can’t even begin to imagine how successful she is.
Sam stopped moving and couldn’t speak. He didn’t say anything.
The old guy started to cry as he looked at his son one last time.
He murmured, “I raised a proud fool.”
And just like that, his heart stopped and he fell.
The room was filled with a loud beep. The nurses ran in, but it was too late. Sam’s dad was gone.
The funeral was quiet, but it was heavy. Not with tears, but with stress.
Mary was near the rear of the room in black, and her son James was holding her hand.
At the age of ten, he felt the weight of the day, but he wasn’t fully aware of it.
The man who had loved him like a real grandfather was no longer there.
Sam didn’t know who she was.
Mary, his mother, donned heavy spectacles that disguised any feeling she had left.
But one thing was clear: the fight over the legacy had begun.
Weeks went by, and then the day everyone had been waiting for came: the reading of the will.
The Will’s Reading
Many lawyers, family members, and others were present, creating a heated atmosphere. Mary held James’s hand tightly, and her heart raced. Sam stood on the other side, looking chilly and far away.
The lawyer started to read out loud:
“Mr. Williams made it clear what he wanted in his will. He made it official that James was his real grandchild and the only direct heir to a large part of his wealth.
There was a murmur in the room.
The lawyer went on, “He also left a special clause for Mary Smith.” She is given authority and management of money for his business and future ventures because they respect her efforts and dignity.
Mary felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her eyes filled with tears, but this time they were tears of recognition and justice.
Sam couldn’t move, so she tightened her hands.
The lawyer ended by saying, “As of today, James and Mary are real members of the Williams family.” “Any action against them will be considered illegal and punished.”
For a minute, there was silence. Then, the courtroom started to fill with a mix of surprise and acceptance.
Mary stood there and looked at Sam.
She answered firmly, “This isn’t revenge, Sam.” “It’s fair. For James, for me, and for everything we made despite you.
Sam didn’t say anything.
Mary felt a peace she hadn’t felt in years as she departed. James gripped her tightly, and she realized they had come a long way, even though it hurt.
Years went by. People in the city saw the restaurant “Mary’s Taste of Home” as a sign of strength and achievement. Mary not only kept her goal alive, but she also helped other women become strong and independent through her charity that supports young mothers.
James experienced a great deal of love and had many opportunities as he grew up. He never forgot where he came from or how hard his mother worked to provide him a better future.
On the other hand, Sam faced a painful recollection, a phantom of the past that could never regain what it had lost.
The narrative that started with grief and betrayal finished with a lesson in strength, hope, and redemption.
Because sometimes second chances come not just to heal but to change whole lives.