“Please give me back my son. I’ll give you anything you want,” whispered Emily, her voice barely audible.
“Don’t worry about your father. He’s only forty-three. You think he’ll mourn your mother forever? Hardly. Statistically, there are more single women than men. Someone’s bound to take care of him. So let’s go to London—don’t get in the way of him rebuilding his life. Or would you rather he stay alone forever?”
They lived in a quiet town outside London. When Emily and her friend Sophie were in Year 11, Emily’s mother was hit by a car. She and her father were devastated. Emily took on the household chores, but she still managed to excel in her studies and score high on her A-levels.
Sophie had always dreamed of leaving their small town for London and kept urging Emily to come with her.
“Father’s still grieving—he hasn’t come to terms with Mum’s death. And if I leave too? No, I won’t abandon him,” Emily refused.
“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s fine. You think he’ll mourn forever? Some single woman will snatch him up soon enough. Let him move on. Or do you want him to be miserable his whole life?”
Sophie’s harsh words stung, but they held a grain of truth. Reluctantly, Emily spoke to her father.
“Go, love. Don’t worry about me. London’s not far—you can always come back if you change your mind. What’s here for you anyway?”
So Emily went to London with Sophie. She could’ve gotten into university—her grades were excellent—but Sophie’s were average, and she wouldn’t make the cut. Not wanting to leave her friend behind, Emily enrolled in a teaching college with her, planning to do university part-time later. They shared a room in student housing.
At first, Emily visited her father every weekend. But after New Year’s, she noticed a change—he was happier, well-groomed, and there was homemade soup and meatballs in the fridge.
“My neighbour, Sarah, made them,” he admitted awkwardly. “And, well…”
Emily reassured him. “I’m happy for you. Live your life—don’t hide anything on my account.”
She visited less often, not wanting to intrude.
Meanwhile, Sophie barely attended classes, spending nights clubbing and sometimes not returning at all. Emily covered for her and helped with coursework.
“Are you throwing everything away? You’ll get kicked out—or worse, pregnant,” Emily warned.
“Chill out, you sound like my mum. Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control. No kids for me. Still holding hands with your precious Tom?” Sophie scoffed.
By summer term, Sophie barely scraped through exams—thanks to Emily’s help. Lately, she’d been tense and distracted.
“What’s wrong?” Emily asked on the train home.
Sophie exhaled sharply. “Pregnant.”
“I told you this would happen. What now?”
“Not keeping it. Ask your dad for money—my mum would kill me.”
“Are you insane? You said you were careful!”
“Couple of slip-ups. Seriously, just ask him?”
“No. What if you can’t have kids later? Tell the guy involved.”
Sophie bit her lip. “I did. He vanished. My mum raised me alone—always warned me not to repeat her mistakes. And I—”
“She’ll be furious, but she’ll soften when she holds her grandchild.”
“You don’t know her. She’d disown me first.”
Emily sighed. “Fine. I’ll try.”
She didn’t ask her father. She couldn’t support ending a life. Maybe motherhood would change Sophie. But when Emily told her the truth, Sophie exploded.
“Some friend you are! Traitor!”
Sophie never got the abortion. Too scared in their small town, and later, too late. That winter, she skipped visiting—her bump was obvious. Then her mother showed up unannounced.
Emily lied smoothly. “She’s working at a children’s home—gaining experience.”
Sophie fumed when her mother left. “Why? She brought so much food!”
“Because she’d have lost it if she saw me like this. I’ll leave the baby at the hospital—what am I supposed to do alone?”
“You should’ve thought sooner. He hears you, you know.”
“Take him yourself if you’re so perfect!” Sophie snapped.
Late one night, Sophie’s groans woke Emily. “It’s time?”
The dorm matron shouted after them, “Don’t bring a baby back here!”
Three days later, Sophie returned alone.
“Where’s the baby? You left him?” Emily cried.
“Drop it.” A week later, Sophie vanished.
Years passed. Emily returned home with her son, Oliver. Her father and Sarah lived next door, renting out Sarah’s old flat—now Emily’s.
One snowy evening, Sophie appeared—polished, wealthy, with a husband.
“Is this your son?” she asked lightly.
Emily hustled Oliver away.
That night, Sophie called. “He’s mine, isn’t he?”
“You’re mistaken.”
“Liar. He looks just like his father.”
The next day, Emily met her at a café.
“Sergei wants a son,” Sophie murmured. “I’ve had miscarriages. His daughter’s sickly. But Oliver—”
“He’s *mine*,” Emily hissed.
Sophie smirked. “We’ll see.”
Days later, Sophie kidnapped Oliver. Emily raced to the police, but they dismissed her.
Frantic, she waited—until Sophie called. “Sergei says I have to return him… or he’ll leave me.”
Emily met her at the café. Oliver ran to her—Sophie had him stashed nearby.
Her father restrained Sophie. “Police are coming.”
“Let her go,” Emily said tiredly. “She’s suffered enough.”
Sophie fled. Emily dropped the charges but made her swear never to approach Oliver again.
Friendships end when love divides. Sophie gave birth—and abandoned him. Emily raised him with all her heart.
Oliver barely understood—just that a strange woman took him to a big city where adults yelled, and he missed his real mum, Emily…
**The bond of love is stronger than blood.**
