I hadn’t seen Erin in months. Not since the baby was born. So when the whole family made the trip to visit her, gifts in hand and hearts full of excitement, I was ready for a joyful reunion. It wasn’t just about meeting my new nephew—it was about seeing my goddaughter, Lily, the little girl who had lit up Erin’s life just months before.
As soon as we stepped inside, the scent of baby powder and fresh laundry filled the air. Erin was radiant, the exhaustion of new motherhood softened by the glow of happiness. The baby, wrapped in a blue onesie, slept peacefully in her arms. But something was missing. Someone was missing.
“Where’s Lily?” I asked, scanning the living room for any sign of her. Her toys, her tiny shoes, anything.
Erin’s smile wavered. She glanced at her boyfriend, who suddenly found the floor very interesting. Then, with a careless shrug, she said, “Oh. I gave her back.”
I blinked. “You… what?”
She sighed as if I were asking her to repeat something trivial. “I always wanted a boy. Now I have one. Why would I need a daughter?”
My stomach churned. My hands tightened around the gift bag I was holding. “You GAVE HER BACK?! She’s a child, not a return item!”
Erin rolled her eyes. “Relax. She wasn’t really mine anyway. Just… temporary.”
The word hit me like a slap. Temporary? This little girl had called Erin “Mom.” She had clung to her when she was scared, looked up at her with eyes full of trust. And now she was gone, discarded like an old toy because Erin finally got what she really wanted.
“She was a foster kid, okay?” Erin said, crossing her arms. “It’s not like I abandoned my own child.”
I was shaking with rage. “She was YOUR child. Maybe not by blood, but by love. You held her, soothed her, tucked her in at night. And you just—just let her go because she didn’t fit your picture-perfect plan?”
Erin scoffed. “It’s not that serious. She’ll be fine. It’s not like she remembers much.”
Before I could unleash the full force of my fury, sharp knocks pounded at the door. Erin hesitated before answering, and when she did, her expression shifted from irritation to sheer panic.
A woman in a black blazer stood at the threshold, her sharp gaze sweeping over Erin. Behind her, a man in a suit flipped through a file. “Ms. Reynolds?”
Erin nodded, voice wary. “Yes?”
“I’m from Child Protective Services.” The woman’s tone was clipped, professional. “We need to speak with you.”
The room plunged into silence. Erin’s boyfriend stiffened. My parents exchanged nervous glances. I folded my arms, watching the scene unfold.
“I don’t understand,” Erin said, forcing a laugh. “Is this about Lily? I followed all the procedures.”
The woman’s expression didn’t change. “It’s about your son.”
The air was sucked from the room.
“My… what?” Erin’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“We received a report of neglect and abandonment of a foster child in your care. Given the circumstances, we are conducting an assessment to ensure your biological child is in a safe and stable environment.”
Erin’s face paled. “This is insane. I didn’t do anything wrong! I gave Lily back through the system—legally!”
The man flipped a page. “According to our records, you requested emergency removal, citing ‘incompatibility’ and ‘lack of emotional attachment.’ You stated you did not wish to continue fostering any child who was not biologically related to you.”
I turned to look at Erin, my disgust reaching new heights. She hadn’t even tried to ease Lily into a new situation, hadn’t cared where she went—just got rid of her like an unwanted guest.
“I want to see your son’s living conditions,” the CPS worker continued. “This is standard procedure when a caregiver’s capacity for parental responsibility is called into question.”
Erin’s voice cracked. “You’re saying I’m a bad mother?”
“No,” the woman said coolly. “We’re saying we need to make sure you’re a fit one.”
Panic set in. Erin’s hands trembled as she clutched her baby to her chest. “I love my son! I would never hurt him!”
The CPS worker nodded. “And that’s exactly what we hope to confirm.” She stepped inside. “We’ll need to speak to you privately and inspect the home.”
Tears welled in Erin’s eyes as reality sank in. She thought she had won. She thought she could choose who deserved her love and who didn’t without consequence. But karma has a way of balancing the scales.
She had thrown Lily away. And now, someone else had the power to decide if she was fit to keep her own child.
I should have felt pity. Instead, I felt something else—justice.
Because no child should ever be treated as temporary.
The silence in the room felt suffocating. My parents, who had stood quietly in the background, suddenly stepped forward, their expressions dark with disappointment. My mother’s lips trembled as she looked at Erin.
“How could you?” she whispered.
Erin flinched. “Mom, please, you don’t understand—”
“No, Erin. I understand perfectly.” My mother’s voice, usually warm and full of love, was cold. “You abandoned a child. A little girl who loved you. And now you expect us to stand by you like nothing happened?”
My father shook his head, his face lined with a mixture of sadness and anger. “We raised you better than this.”
Erin’s eyes darted between them, desperate now. “I didn’t do anything wrong! Lily wasn’t my real daughter! I have my real family now!”
“You think family is just about blood?” My mother’s voice rose, her pain raw. “Then I guess we failed as parents if that’s what you believe.”
Erin opened her mouth to argue, but my father turned away from her, looking at the CPS worker.
“Where is Lily now?” he asked.
The woman blinked, caught off guard by the question. “She was placed back into the system after Erin’s request for removal. She’s with a temporary foster family, but—”
“We want to adopt her,” my mother said firmly.
Erin gasped. “What?!”
The CPS worker frowned. “Adoption isn’t an overnight process, and given the circumstances—”
“We’ll do whatever it takes,” my father interrupted. His voice, always calm and steady, was unwavering. “We loved Lily from the moment we met her. She was our granddaughter, no matter what Erin says. We want her home.”
Tears filled my eyes as I looked at them. My parents were the kindest people I knew. They had always been the glue of our family, the ones who showed us what unconditional love meant. And now, they were stepping up in a way Erin never had.
The CPS worker nodded slowly. “If you’re serious, we can begin the process. I’ll look into her current placement.”
Erin looked like she had been slapped. “You—you can’t just replace me!” she shrieked.
My father turned back to her, his gaze stern. “You replaced Lily the moment you decided she wasn’t worth keeping.”
Erin let out a breath, her hands clenching into fists. “This isn’t fair! I’m your daughter!”
My mother’s lips pressed into a thin line. “And Lily was yours.”
For the first time, true fear flashed across Erin’s face. She had spent her entire life relying on my parents’ generosity. They had helped her through school, supported her financially when she struggled, even paid for the apartment she now lived in. And now, she could see it—her safety net was gone.
My father straightened his shoulders. “We’ve given you everything, Erin. And we’ve stood by you even when you made mistakes. But this? This is beyond forgiveness.” He took a deep breath, as if steadying himself. “We will no longer be supporting you financially.”
Erin’s face turned white. “You—you can’t be serious.”
“We are,” my mother said. “If you believe people can just be abandoned when they’re no longer convenient, then maybe it’s time you learn how that feels.”
Tears spilled down Erin’s cheeks. “Mom, Dad, please. I have a baby! I can’t do this alone!”
“You should have thought of that before you threw your daughter away,” I said, my voice sharp. “Lily needed you. But you didn’t care. Now you’ll see what it’s like to be left behind.”
The CPS worker gave Erin a long, hard look. “I’ll be following up to ensure the well-being of your son,” she said. “But in the meantime, I suggest you start thinking about what kind of mother you really want to be.”
Erin sank onto the couch, sobbing. No one moved to comfort her.
Because she had made her choice.
And now, so had we.
Two months later, Lily walked into my parents’ home with a shy smile and wide eyes. My mother knelt in front of her, holding out her arms.
“Sweetheart,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Would you like to come home?”
Lily hesitated for only a second before she ran into my mother’s embrace.
And just like that, she was home.
If you believe love makes a family, share this story. What do you think about Erin’s choices? Let’s discuss.
