After a long and exhausting day at work, all Almudena wanted was to have dinner with her husband, take a hot bath, and forget the world beneath the sheets. The day had been a nightmare: endless reports, constant calls, and the usual stress. She parked in the courtyard of her building, activated the alarm with the remote, and headed for the entrance. Just as she reached for her keys, she heard hesitant footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw a thin young woman, around eighteen years old, holding a baby wrapped in a blanket.
“Excuse me… are you Almudena? Adrián’s wife?” the girl asked, her voice shaking.
“Yes,” Almudena replied, cautiously. “Is something wrong?”
“My name is Lucía… I’m sorry to show up like this, but… this is Adrián’s son. His name is Mateo. I don’t know what to do… I was a delivery girl. That day, I brought a package to your husband. Just before that, my boyfriend had left me and I was a wreck, crying at work. Adrián tried to comfort me…”
“Some comfort, huh?” Almudena replied with sarcasm. “And now, what do you expect from me?”
“I have nowhere to go… no home, no help. I can’t do this anymore. Please, take him. He’s your husband’s son…”
“No way, sweetheart. If you gave birth to him, take responsibility. What does this have to do with me?” Almudena turned and walked into the building — but inside, she was burning with rage.
No matter how much she pretended not to care, the thought of Adrián cheating on her — and possibly having a child — wouldn’t let her sleep. That night, when he got home, she asked without hesitation:
“Did you sleep with Lucía?”
Adrián looked down. No lies, no excuses. Just a whisper:
“Yes… It was only once… I was going through a rough time… I regret it every day.”
Before they could say more, the doorbell rang. Adrián answered it and came back holding the baby. On the blanket, a note: “His name is Mateo. Please take care of him…”
He stood frozen, as if the ground had disappeared beneath his feet. Almudena took the baby in her arms, looked at his frightened little face, and said firmly:
“Go to the pharmacy. Buy bottles, diapers, formula… now.”
And so, Mateo stayed with them. Days went by, then weeks. Adrián, completely lost, failed to step up as a father. His parents refused to acknowledge the child, calling Lucía a “cheap girl.” Under pressure, he insisted on a DNA test. The result left them stunned: Adrián was not the father.
“We have to take him to an orphanage,” he said when he got home. “He’s not my blood.”
But Almudena had already made up her mind:
“He’s mine now. If you want to stay, stay. If not, the door’s open. But I won’t abandon him. If heaven didn’t give us children, maybe it’s because it meant to bring us this one.”
Adrián left. The marriage was over. Almudena was alone — but she didn’t give up. With the help of a nanny and even the neighbors, she raised Mateo with love and dedication. Until one day, the little boy got sick: high fever, seizures… an emergency admission. Pneumonia. Sleepless nights by his hospital bed.
That’s when she met Dr. Javier, a calm and kind man who took care of Mateo and, over time, began to look at Almudena differently. One day, he told her:
“Lucía came to ask about the boy…”
“If she comes back,” Almudena said, “bring her to me.”
And so he did. Lucía, in tears, confessed the truth: she eventually found out Mateo was actually the son of her ex-boyfriend — the one who had abandoned her. In her desperation, she had turned to Adrián, the only man who had shown her kindness without judgment.
Almudena didn’t yell, nor did she blame her. She just listened. And suddenly, she remembered her own miscarriage when she was younger. Maybe the universe was giving her a second chance.
“Come live with me,” she said. “Let’s start over. Go to school. You can build a future.”
Lucía cried, but agreed. She enrolled in college, met a good man, and got married. She eventually took Mateo with her — but Javier stayed. He proposed to Almudena, and now they’re expecting a baby.
Adrián tried to come back. His new relationship had failed. But it was too late.
Sometimes, kindness takes time to return… but it always does. You just have to know how to forgive. And listen to your heart.