At Husband's Funeral, Wife Faces A Shocking Revelation From A Woman Holding His Baby

Nancy stood silently, staring at the lingering traces of her husband Patrick’s funeral. The reality of his death hadn’t fully settled in yet. He had passed away in a car accident, and though a week had gone by, it still felt unreal to her. How could he really be gone?

She sighed deeply and began walking toward the cemetery’s exit, her heart weighed down with the thought of figuring out how to rebuild her life.

Out of nowhere, an older woman holding a baby appeared in her path, stopping her in her tracks.

"Are you Nancy?" the woman asked, her voice breaking as the baby in her arms began to cry.

Nancy froze, confused. She didn’t know this woman. Why was she here?

"I am. Who are you?" Nancy responded cautiously, trying to piece together what was happening.

Nancy wasn’t prepared for what the woman, Amanda, revealed next. She claimed the baby she was holding was Patrick’s child.

"Only you can look after this child now," Amanda explained, adding, "Her mother can't provide for her."

Cold shivers ran down Nancy’s spine. Her gaze shifted from Amanda to the baby, and she instinctively stepped back, overwhelmed by the weight of the revelation.

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

"No, it can't be! Patrick was a loving husband. He would never do this to me!" Nancy whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

She turned away, refusing to let herself question Patrick’s loyalty. He had always been a loving husband. There was no way he could have betrayed her.

Suddenly, a voice broke through her swirling thoughts: "Watch out!"

Still lost in her thoughts, Nancy accidentally bumped into one of Patrick’s old friends, Mike. He offered his condolences and tried to start a conversation, but Nancy wasn’t in the mood to talk. She forced a polite smile and ended the interaction quickly before heading to her car.

But as she opened the door to get in, she froze. To her astonishment, the same baby Amanda had been holding was now lying on the back seat of her car, crying softly.

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

Nancy frantically looked around, but Amanda was nowhere in sight. "How did this baby even get here?" she wondered aloud, her mind racing.

It was getting colder, so Nancy removed her jacket and gently wrapped it around the baby to keep her warm.

As she adjusted the jacket, her eyes caught sight of something unusual. The baby had a birthmark on her neck. Nancy froze. "It can't be," she murmured, her voice trembling.

The birthmark was identical to one Patrick had. Nancy felt her heart sink. She didn’t want to believe her husband could have been unfaithful, but the evidence was starting to pile up. She needed answers.

Determined to uncover the truth, Nancy drove home with the baby. Once there, she retrieved strands of Patrick’s hair from his hairbrush and headed straight to the hospital.

At the reception desk, she calmly said, "Hello, I'd like to get a paternity test done,"

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

"OK, ma'am. Normally, it takes a few days to get the results," the receptionist explained, looking at Nancy sympathetically.

Nancy didn’t want to wait. "Can it be done quicker?" she asked anxiously, adding, "I'll pay extra."

The receptionist hesitated before replying, "Well, we do have expedited service. Let me see what I can do. But it will cost you more."

"I'll take it," Nancy responded firmly. She handed over Patrick’s hair sample and paid extra for the expedited service.

With the baby cradled in her arms, Nancy sat in the hospital hallway, waiting for the results. The baby started crying, and Nancy instinctively sniffed her clothes to check if her diaper needed changing. When she realized it didn’t, she guessed the baby might be hungry.

Wanting to be prepared, Nancy decided to visit the nearby supermarket to buy baby formula, bottles, and a few extra diapers, just in case.

After returning to the hospital, she fed the baby as they waited. It felt like hours before a nurse finally approached with the test results.

The nurse handed her an envelope and walked away without saying a word.

"This is the truth, and I'll have to accept it whether I like it or not," Nancy thought as she opened the envelope with trembling hands.

For illustration purposes only Source: Unsplash

The words inside made Nancy’s head spin. "Paternity rate - 99%." the test read.

Nancy stared at the sleeping baby in her arms, tears welling up in her eyes. Patrick had cheated on her. He had hidden a part of his life from her, leaving her to uncover the painful truth after his death.

She decided she couldn’t keep living with the constant reminder of his betrayal. Nancy resolved to find the baby’s mother and return her to where she belonged.

Pulling herself together, Nancy drove home and began going through Patrick's things. But she didn't find anything that could point her to his lover. She moved to his office next, searching his drawers, files, and cabinets. But nothing.

Nancy sighed. The baby was asleep in the living room. Grabbing the baby monitor, she headed to Patrick's car. She searched under the seats, in the glove compartment, and in all the nooks and crannies of the vehicle. But she didn't find anything significant.

Nancy sank into the driver's seat when her eyes landed on the GPS. And it was then it hit her. Patrick was terrible at directions and always used the navigator. If he had ever visited his mistress' house, that is where she would find her address.

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

Nancy went straight to recent destinations on the navigator. The list wasn't long, mostly familiar places: local restaurants, the hardware store, and Patrick's office. But then, one address caught her eye—it appeared more frequently than others, and she didn't recognize it.

"This is it," she thought. She took the baby with her and drove to the address.

***

Arriving there, Nancy found herself in front of a modest house. She scooped the baby in her arms, walked to the front door, and knocked.

"Hello? Anyone home?" she asked.

After the tenth knock, when nobody answered the door, Nancy concluded the house was empty. She looked around and decided to approach the neighbors. She started with the house next door and rang the doorbell.

The door opened with a creak, and Nancy's eyes widened when Amanda stepped out.

"You?" Nancy asked.

"How…how did you find me?" Amanda stuttered.

"I was trying to find my husband's…" Nancy paused. "His other woman. I wanted to return her baby."

A strange sadness flashed across Amanda's face. "The woman who lived next door… died a few days ago. She had a heart attack when she learned about your husband's accident. Emma is no more."

"Wait…did you say Emma?" Nancy asked, shocked.

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

"Yes," Amanda nodded. "Did you know her?"

"Was…Was her last name Warren?"

When Amanda nodded, Nancy hung her head in shame. "Can-Can I come inside?" she asked. "There's something I'd like to tell you. I feel I could use some talk."

Amanda opened the door wider for her, and Nancy stepped inside. They settled in the living room. "Emma was my classmate," Nancy began recounting her past. "She was also my friend. But I wronged her and…Patrick…"

20 years ago…

Nancy and Patrick were in their school's hallway. She was standing next to her locker when Patrick approached her.

"Hey, Nancy," he said quietly, and she looked at him.

"I…I need to tell you something," Patrick added anxiously.

"Hey," she smiled. "Yes?"

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

"I…I'm in love with someone else, Nancy," he confessed. "I know you've been really kind and everything, but I'm sorry."

Nancy was shocked. "Tell me it's a joke, Patrick," she cried. "You can't be serious!"

But Patrick was serious. Patrick was head over heels in love with Emma, and Emma loved him, too.

Nancy was so distraught that day that she returned home in tears.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Her mother immediately sensed something had happened at school.

Nancy sobbed as she told her how Patrick had broken up with her.

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

"I want to break them up!" she yelled. "I won't let them be together!"

"Nancy, you won't be able to create your own happiness by destroying someone else's," her mother advised her. "Revenge is never an option. Forget about him."

But Nancy was fueled with the desire for revenge.

In the next few days, Nancy tried everything she could to drive Patrick and Emma apart—she spread silly rumors, planned coincidental run-ins where she'd flaunt newfound confidence, and even stooped to sending anonymous notes, trying to stir up jealousy.

However, nothing worked. Emma seemed happy, wrapped up in her and Patrick's world and Nancy was left on the outside, her plans crumbling uselessly around her.

But Nancy wasn't the one to give up. One night, she had the perfect idea to drive a wedge between Emma and Patrick.

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

"Hello, Nancy, how are you?" Nancy visited Patrick, and the door was answered by this mother.

"I'm fine, Mrs. White. Is Patrick home?"

"Yes, dear. Let me get him."

Patrick was confused to see her on his doorstep. "Nancy? What's going on?"

"I know this will come as a shock to you, Patrick, but…I'm-I'm pregnant!" she announced.

Patrick was shocked and terrified. "What…but…Are you sure?"

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

When she nodded, Patrick invited her inside. She told him she hadn't told her parents yet because she was scared. Nancy said her father would definitely be against it and force her to terminate the pregnancy. So she begged Patrick not to tell anyone about it and noticed how easily he succumbed to her lie.

Patrick was a responsible guy. Nancy knew that. He held her hands and said, "I'm the child's father, so I'll take the responsibility for our baby. And yes, don't worry; this will stay between us."

Present-day…

"I used him. I lied to him. I wasn't pregnant," Nancy told Amanda. "I was hurt, and I couldn't stand losing him to Emma. So I told him a lie that changed everything. He was ready to step up, leave Emma, and be…a father."

"Lies ruin everything, dear," Amanda shook her head. "And what after that? Did he never find out the truth?"

"He didn't," Nancy revealed. "I kept up the act, the morning sickness, the whole thing. But after a couple of months, I...I couldn't carry on with it. So, I told him there was a mistake with the test and that the doctor was wrong. And by then, Emma had…moved. She was heartbroken and had left town with her parents. Patrick and I stayed together. He never went back to her, never tried to find her. We just moved on. Or pretended to…" Nancy added, looking at the sleeping baby in her arms. Now she knew Patrick had returned to Emma.

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

"And I guess it's time to correct what I couldn't back then," Nancy said and rose to her feet.

She was leaving Amanda's house with the baby when the older woman stopped her.

"What are you going to do with the baby?" Amanda asked.

Nancy turned around and smiled at Amanda. "I will raise her as my own child. Maybe that'll help me seek forgiveness from Patrick and Emma."

And Nancy followed through on her words. She raised baby Catherine with love. When Catherine turned 16, Nancy told her everything about her past. She was expecting Catherine to hate her. And she was prepared for it.

But Catherine smiled and said, "Nothing changes how I feel about you, Mom. You raised me. You were there for every scraped knee, every fever, every heartbreak. You're my mom in every way that counts."

For illustration purposes only Source: Shutterstock

Nancy cried silently and hugged her daughter. Catherine's words had not only relieved her heart, but they'd also made her believe that Emma and Patrick had forgiven her.

Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer.

Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental.

All images are for illustration purposes only.