We hadn’t seen Erin in months, so when she gave birth to a baby boy, the whole family gathered to celebrate the new arrival. Gifts in hand, I was eager to meet the newborn, but more than that, I was excited to see my goddaughter, Lily. However, when we arrived, something wasn’t right.
“Where’s Lily?” I asked, looking around the room.
Erin froze. Her eyes darted to her boyfriend before she casually shrugged.
“Oh. I gave her back.”
The words hit me like a punch to the stomach.
“You—what?” I asked, my voice tight with disbelief.
“I always wanted a boy. Now I have one. Why would I need a daughter?”
My heart sank. “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.”
That was the breaking point for me. I couldn’t let it slide. Lily wasn’t temporary. She was my goddaughter—the little girl who had helped fill the void left by my miscarriages.
“Temporary?! You let her call you Mom, held her in your arms, and threw her away the second you got your ‘real’ kid?!” I shouted, my rage bubbling to the surface.
Erin scoffed. “She was a foster kid, okay?”
My hands shook with anger as I processed what she had just said.
The Unwelcome Visitors
Before I could respond, sharp knocks at the door interrupted the tension in the room. Erin’s face went pale, and the knocking grew more insistent. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at her, demanding an answer.
“Who is that?” I asked.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she exchanged a nervous glance with her boyfriend, who clearly wanted no part in what was about to unfold.
I stormed toward the door and flung it open, only to be met by a woman dressed in a crisp blazer, her eyes sharp with barely contained fury. Next to her stood a uniformed officer.
“Erin Matthews?” the woman asked.
Erin hesitated, her voice barely audible. “Yes?”
The woman pulled out a badge. “I’m Karen Holloway from Child Protective Services. We need to talk.”
Erin’s face went completely white as the officer stepped forward. “May we come in?”
Erin swallowed hard and stepped aside. I stood in the doorway, arms crossed, glaring at her as they entered. Her boyfriend slunk off toward the kitchen, not wanting to be involved in what was clearly coming.
The Shocking Truth
Karen wasted no time getting to the point. “We received an anonymous tip that you abandoned your foster daughter, Lily. Is that true?”
Erin straightened her back, trying to maintain her composure. “I didn’t abandon her. I returned her to the system. I had every right. I was fostering her. It wasn’t permanent.”
Karen’s expression hardened. “You were fostering her with the intention of adopting. You signed legal documents stating you were committed to giving her a home. That’s not a lease agreement you can cancel when something better comes along.”
Erin crossed her arms defensively, her jaw tightening. “I changed my mind. I wanted a boy. And now I have one.”
Karen exhaled sharply, her anger barely contained. “That little girl thought she had a family. You let her believe that, and then you threw her away like she was nothing. Do you even know what that does to a child?”
I could see Karen struggling to keep her anger in check, and I admired her restraint. But my patience was running thin.
“Where is Lily now?” I asked, my voice trembling with emotion.
Karen turned to me, her gaze softening just a little. “She was placed in an emergency home, but she’s devastated. She won’t eat, barely speaks, and keeps asking where her mommy is.”
My heart shattered. “I want to see her. Can I see her?”
Karen hesitated, then nodded. “You’re her godmother?”
“Yes,” I replied, my throat tightening with urgency.
Karen studied me for a moment before giving a small nod. “I’ll see what I can do. But Erin—” she turned back to my sister “—you need to understand something. Actions have consequences.”
Erin scoffed, clearly not understanding the gravity of the situation. “What consequences? It’s not like I broke a law.”
The officer beside Karen finally spoke. “Actually, that’s what we’re here to discuss. There are laws against abandonment. And against misleading a child and social services for the sake of temporary care. You signed legal intent to adopt—”
“I changed my mind!” Erin interrupted, her voice panicked.
“That doesn’t erase what you did,” the officer replied, his tone firm.
For the first time, real panic flickered in Erin’s eyes. “What’s going to happen to me?”
Karen crossed her arms, her voice serious. “That depends on what happens next. You can face serious legal repercussions, Erin. But more than that—how do you think your son will feel when he grows up and learns what you did?”
The room fell silent as Erin absorbed the weight of the situation.
A New Beginning for Lily
The next day, I finally got to see Lily. We met at the social services office. She was sitting on a small couch, her tiny body curled up, clutching a stuffed bunny. Her eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Auntie?” she whispered.
I crouched down, trying to hold back my emotions. “Hi, sweetheart.”
Lily studied my face, her small voice barely audible. “Did I do something bad? Mommy doesn’t want me anymore.”
My heart broke as I gathered her into my arms, holding her tightly. “No, baby. You did nothing wrong. You are perfect. And I love you so, so much.”
Her small arms wrapped around me, holding on as though she never wanted to let go. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I whispered, fighting back the tears.
I turned to Karen, my voice filled with desperation. “Can I foster her?”
Karen smiled, this time with genuine warmth. “We’ll start the process.”
Erin Faces Consequences
Weeks passed, and Erin faced the consequences of her actions. While the legal repercussions weren’t extreme, they were enough to ensure she would never be able to foster or adopt again. Her reputation took a hit, and even some of our family members distanced themselves from her. But none of that mattered to me. My focus was on Lily.
Lily moved in with me, and every day, I watched as she slowly healed. Her laughter returned. She started eating again. And every night, when I tucked her in, she would whisper, “You won’t leave me, right?”
I kissed her forehead and whispered back, “No, sweetheart. I’ll never leave you.”
