A man didn't want the responsibility of raising triplets, so he abandoned his wife and kids right after going home from the hospital. Years later, they reencounter each other in very different circumstances.
Allison and her boyfriend Adam had been married for just two weeks when she found out she was pregnant. The couple seemed ecstatic, embracing the fact that they were about to be a family of three very soon.
Adam was highly supportive of Allison throughout her pregnancy. He would go with her to her doctor's visits and even stood by her when she had her ultrasounds.
One day, while they were having their routine checkup, the doctor explained that the baby was okay. "He's big and strong! Your baby is very healthy," she told them. Adam smiled, gently brushing Allison's hair as she lay still, looking at the monitor.
Allison was glad that her husband shared the same excitement she had when it came to their baby. They both prepared the nursery room together, picking out the furniture and clothes that the baby needed.
At 28 weeks, Allison had a baby shower with some of her closest friends. While they enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea party, exchanging stories and gifts, she suddenly started feeling contractions.
"Ouch!" she moaned in pain, clutching her stomach. She felt sharp shooting pains in her belly.
"What happened? Are you alright?" her friends asked, rushing to her side.
"I'm having horrible contractions. I think I need to rush to the hospital. Can you guys take me?" Allison struggled to say. She was in immense pain, and the contractions were getting more frequent.
"Of course. I'll also call Adam to head to the hospital," her friend Maya said as she guided Allison as she stood up from her chair.
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The doctor confirmed that she was in labor when they got to the hospital. Not long after Adam arrived, she started to give birth. On her first try, everyone, including her doctor, was surprised that the baby that came out was a girl.
"It's a girl!" the doctor exclaimed.
"What? How is that possible? We've been seeing a boy in the ultrasound," Adam asked, still clutching onto Allison, who was still in pain.
"Did you forget about our bet that night in the café? We both wanted her, didn't we?"
"Hold on — I see another head! We're not done here," the doctor said, guiding Allison to push some more.
"It's a boy! There he is," the doctor exclaimed, showing Allison and Adam that she had now given birth to two healthy babies.
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Before Allison could say anything, she let out another scream. Another baby was coming out, and quickly, too.
Adam was stunned. He was expecting to welcome only one baby boy into their family. Now, he had three children he needed to take care of.
At that moment, Allison was wheeled over to the recovery room while the three children were placed in the neonatal intensive care unit. As they were born at 28 weeks, the triplets needed to stay there for a couple of days before they could head home.
Meanwhile, Adam was left alone with his thoughts. He visited Allison's doctor, questioning her about what had happened.
"How could that be? How did we not find out in advance that she had three babies inside her?" he asked.
"Well, the ultrasound sometimes can't see everything at once, especially if the fetus is too small. They can also hide behind each other, making it difficult to see. You and Allison are lucky. This happens in one in a million pregnancies!" she explained.
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Instead of being pleased, Adam was disappointed. He was not excited about having to raise three kids all at the same time.
While Allison and the children were at the hospital, he stayed home. "Call me when you're all ready to head home," he told Allison before leaving.
It took another five days before Allison and the kids, whom she named Andy, Amara, and Ashton, could go home. When it was finally time, Allison expected Adam to be happy.
However, their drive home was both silent and uncomfortable.
"Is everything okay?" Allison asked her husband. He shrugged his shoulders and grunted.
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As soon as they got home, Adam asked if the kids needed anything. Allison smiled, thinking he was finally getting the hang of the triplets.
"The kids ran out of diapers at the hospital. Could you go and buy some from the store?" she asked.
Adam nodded. "Sure. I'll be back soon," he said before walking out of the house. While waiting, Allison excitedly cared for the three kids. She was in a separate ward at the hospital, so this was the first time she could care for them on her own.
"Hello there, sweetie pies," she said as she laid each of them down on the crib. "Daddy went to go buy you more diapers, so just hang in there, alright? It's not time to poop just yet," she said, talking to her kids.
After successfully putting the kids to sleep, Allison decided to prepare dinner. She wasn't sure how long the kids would be sleeping, so she chose to prepare a quick mac and cheese recipe for when Adam arrived.
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However, hours passed, and he still wasn't home. The triplets were crying all at once, and she couldn't carry all of them at the same time.
Allison tried calling Adam's phone, but it went straight to voicemail. "Hey, where are you? Is everything alright? I'm getting worried. Call me back," she said, leaving a message.
After another hour, Allison tried to call him again. This time, his phone was turned off.
She proceeded to call 911, hoping to get answers. "I just wanted to know if this number is active. My husband hasn't come home, and I'm afraid he got into an accident," she panicked.
After the dispatcher got Adam's number, they were able to trace it. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but the line is active. He did not get into an accident, and your husband is currently driving on the interstate freeway."
Allison started to cry. "Why?" she sobbed, with her children echoing her cries in the background. "What did I do to deserve this?"
She was left alone with three newborn triplets without any help. She was overwhelmed, agitated, and afraid.
Before finally letting go of Adam, Allison decided to visit Greg, Adam's best friend, to find out if he'd heard from him.
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The next morning, Allison knocked on Greg's door. She always knew how he and Adam were inseparable...like nail and flesh. After all that had happened in a wink, Allison could not help but seek answers from Greg. She knew he would have something to tell her.
"Hey, Allison, come in...I'm so glad to see you!" Greg exclaimed when he answered the door and saw her standing on the threshold.
Allison bluntly nodded. Her heart raced, hoping she would get the answers she had come for.
"Well...I understand Adam's behavior might seem strange to you," Greg said, placing the coffee on the table. "But not to me."
"Did you see him after that? I mean after he left us?" Allison interrupted.
"Yes, I did...And even argued about it," Greg replied as Allison grew anxious and pale. "I tried to talk to him and make him understand what he was doing was wrong. I even told him to stay and take care of you and the babies...but he refused."
"Your coffee is turning cold."
Allison was beyond hurt. Greg's revelation rubbed salt into her wound. "Was that all? He never said anything else?"
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Greg could quickly tell Allison was disheartened and decided it was time to confess a bit more about his best friend.
"And now that he's escaped without a trace, abandoning you with your babies, I think you need to know a little more about your relationship," Greg added.
Allison was puzzled. She thought Greg knew every bit of her relationship with Adam. "What more...I don't get you?"
"Do you remember your first meeting with him?" Greg went on.
Allison's eyes rose with tears. "Of course! How can I ever forget that day? It was a Friday. I was on my shift in the café and saw you two sitting with a gang of men. Perhaps your friends? It was someone's birthday. I still remember Adam's wild laughter as he toasted when the guy cut his cake."
"Yeah, right! We were celebrating Sam's birthday. And there's something else you still don't know..."
Allison could not hold back her tears recalling her first meeting with Adam and the way he locked eyes with her from his table.
"Adam and this birthday boy, Sam...they liked you, Allison," Greg chimed in and snapped her to reality.
"They were drunk and argued about who would get you first. But that was not all. They then got down to some serious deal."
"A deal?? What kind of deal?" Allison was startled.
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Greg paused. He was not sure if he'd done the right thing by letting it slip, but now, he had no choice but to reveal everything that had happened that day.
"Allison, I know this might hurt you. But Adam said he'd bet $100 to take you to bed that night. Sam laughed, saying it was child's play to bed you."
"He offered $1000 if Adam would woo you and take you out for a month."
Allison was beyond shocked. "He placed a bet to go to bed with me. Oh my God...How could he..."
Before Allison could fathom anything, Greg interrupted again, unraveling who Adam really was.
"The thing is, Adam never had any serious relationship. So we all thought it was some kind of a dirty joke. But then, he took up the challenge seriously."
"Do you mean he courted and married me just for $1000???" Allison burst into tears.
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"No, of course not. He liked you. Like genuinely...He did," Greg went on. "Things heated up after you began dating. You guys married, and things were fine until he started feeling choked up in this relationship."
"Adam was afraid of responsibilities. He just didn't want to get committed so easily. Once things turned serious, he began to back off...And those mistresses of his..."
"Wait, Adam had mistresses??" Allison was alarmed.
"That's Adam. Deception is child's play for him. It's sad he kept you in the dark. He wanted to divorce you at some point. But he was afraid to take it forward..."
"If he really had to divorce me, why did he stay? Why didn't he leave me before that?" Allison started to cry.
"I'm not sure why but I am sure of just one thing — your pregnancy shocked him. He was not ready yet but 'tried' to hold everything together so you wouldn't get hurt. He tried...but when you gave birth to triplets, he freaked out. It was his last straw. He had no choice but to run. It was all too much for him to handle. He just couldn't do it anymore. And leaving you and the kids was his only option."
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"Oh my God, Greg," Allison cried. "You have visited us often. You could've told me earlier. Adam abandoned me all alone with the babies. What will I do now? I'm so confused...And how will I survive without him."
The very thought of the hurdles she'd have to face in raising her kids alone frightened Allison. Her head hurt from hours of crying, but her tears wouldn't stop. She walked to and fro Greg's living room, calling Adam's number. But it was still turned off.
"Allison, you need to calm down, alright? Drink some water. Give me five minutes. I'll drop you home," Greg said.
Greg drove Allison to her home. She thanked her neighbor, who had babysat her triplets while she was away. All Allison could do was fake a smile and send the woman out before inviting Greg inside.
"They are beautiful, Allison," he said, gently brushing her babies' heads one by one. "Adam shouldn't have done this. He should've stayed, at least for his babies, if not for you."
Once Greg left, Allison tried to calm down and nursed her babies before putting them to sleep in their cribs. She was restless, hurt, and too exhausted, so she couldn't even cry. Hours ticked away, and she fell asleep near her babies.
A long chiming ring of the doorbell suddenly awakened her the following morning, and her heart began to race. "ADAM??" she ran to answer the door, only to be startled when she opened it.
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"Greg?" the little bit of hope she had, assuming it was Adam faded away. "Hey, come in."
"Hey, I called you, but you didn't answer," he said and walked in with a big bag of diapers and baby essentials. "One second, there's more in my car trunk. I'll get it."
Allison was surprised by Greg's sudden visit. What stunned her, even more was his attention and care for her babies.
"You want some coffee?" she asked him.
"Hey, no, thanks. I am getting late. Some other time!"
Allison was partially relieved when Greg showed up to help. She had run out of diapers and baby essentials. She was already hounded by the thought of raising three children alone.
Allison was partially relieved when Greg showed up to help. She had run out of diapers and baby essentials. She was already hounded by the thought of raising three children alone.
The first few days were very hard for Allison. Then her life changed when Greg started visiting often and offered to help.
At some point, she realized she could not cope with raising her babies alone without him. Greg constantly put his best foot forward so that Allison could move on and focus on her future. He even offered to babysit her triplets while she was at job interviews.
Soon, Allison started working as an attorney in a private law firm. She shuttled between work and tending to her babies, and having Greg around offered the biggest support she needed. Though Allison resisted, she could not stop him from giving the kids the attention and care they needed.
With time, Andy, Amara, and Ashton loved Greg's company. They no longer pestered Allison to take them to the amusement park on the weekends. They never argued with her for not getting them fancy Christmas presents. Greg did everything that a father was supposed to do for them. His love for the kids melted Allison at some point, and she slowly harbored feelings for him.
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Allison and Greg started dating but took things slow. They just wanted to be sure the kids were okay with Greg being their father. Once they showed the green light, Allison and Greg tied the knot in a low-key wedding.
A lot changed in twelve years, although the scars Adam inflicted on her heart remained. Allison and Greg tasted success in their careers and raised three wonderful children together. Everything seemed to steer in the right direction until one day when Allison's secretary called her to sign a courier from a client.
"She's on her way," the secretary told the courier, waiting to get the signature.
As Allison marched out of her office, she was shocked.
"ADAM??" she exclaimed at seeing her ex-husband.
She then invited him to meet her in her office. Allison wanted answers from Adam...for everything he did to her twelve years ago.
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Adam anxiously followed Allison to her capacious blue-draped office on the third floor. He hadn't come prepared to see his ex-wife, who he'd abandoned with his newborn triplets, would be so successful.
"I talked this out to myself a million times in front of the mirror," spoke Allison as she sat on her rolling chair. Adam was stunned to see her in such a position. She had changed a lot. Time had changed her A LOT.
"I did miss you at first. I even hoped you'd change your mind and return. But when I dug some truths out, I started hating you more than I loved you. I wanted you to see my success."
"Don't you think it's strange that we meet here, like this, today? I have nothing to say now. But I have just one question—How could you do this to me, Adam??"
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"It's not my fault, Allison. I know what I did. I know it was wrong, but I had no choice," said Adam. "I was too young. I was afraid I rushed with everything...with you, our love, marriage, then kids...and I was really young then. I was not ready to be a father of three kids."
"Young?? Nonsense!" yelled Allison. "You were 27, Adam. You were not young. You were old enough for everything...Or should I remind you once again about what you did?"
"Wha—what did I do?"
"Did you forget your bet on me with your friend Sam??" fumed Allison. "You dated me and faked a happy marriage. You pretended you were happy to be a father. You lied to me and cheated on me with your mistresses…and when you thought it was enough, you were afraid and ran away, abandoning me with our triplets."
Adam wasn't expecting this. He thought Allison was mad at him for leaving her and the kids. But her knowledge of the bet, his mistresses, and his unwillingness to raise his babies shocked him.
"How do you know that? About the bet and everything else? Who told you?" he asked.
"Greg..." Allison went on. "He told me everything about you. And when you abandoned me, he supported the kids and me. He helped us survive. He did what you were supposed to do for us."
"Wait, are you and Greg married??" asked Adam.
Allison's silence answered him. But Adam was not shocked. At this point, something else brewed in his mind. He realized it was his golden chance to blackmail Greg for a ransom. Shockingly enough, he had bet on Allison with Greg, not Sam.
"You hid it from her, eh Greg?" Adam thought. "In that case, I think I should pay a surprise visit and teach you how to tell her the whole truth."
"Allison, you should be glad I left you," he went on as he walked closer to Allison. "Look at me...I have nothing—no good job. I'm drowned in debt. I would've come running to you for help if I knew you were so rich."
"Are you drunk, Adam??" Allison fumed. "Well, what more can I expect from you? It doesn't surprise me, either."
"Allison, please help me. I need money," Adam pleaded with her.
"Help you? Why would I do that? You left the kids and me. You just walked out on us. Did you ever think about us? Then why should I? You may leave now. I don't want to see you ever again. And please don't cross my line again...GET OUT," Allison fumed and booted Adam out then and there.
Adam grunted his way out of the office and waited outside in a café to follow his ex-wife after work.
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"So this is where she lives now...with her new husband??" Adam smirked when he saw Allison and Greg hug on the threshold of their house. He even saw his kids, Andy, Amara, and Ashton, playing in the yard.
The next day, he returned to Allison's house after she left for work and knocked on the door, startling Greg.
"ADAM?? Oh my God, What are you...."
Before Greg could finish talking, Adam barged into the house and made himself comfortable on the couch.
"Adam, how did you find us?"
"My best friend woos my wife behind my back...Like really? Wow!" Adam taunted and laughed as Greg grew anxious. He was lucky nobody was home.
"Adam, what do you want? Why have you come here?"
"How could you do this to me, Greg? You knew I loved her. Why??"
"Loved her? If you really did, you wouldn't have escaped leaving her and the kids," Greg argued.
"Did you forget about our bet that night in the café? I fell for her at first sight, and so did you. We both wanted her, didn't we? But only one made it. I MADE IT!" Adam went on, gazing at Greg's luxurious living room.
"I admit it — I was happy with her. Then she fell pregnant. Double joy, though I was not prepared for it. But anyway, I encouraged and loved her more. But it was too much for me to handle when I saw three babies. I was only prepared to raise one. So I had to run. I was not ready to raise triplets."
"People don't run from their family...and from their children," Greg frowned.
Adam turned a deaf ear and then proposed a strange demand.
"I don't want to dig further. I want $5000."
"$5000???" Greg was stunned.
"Yes, I'm just asking a little to keep my mouth shut. It'll help me get some 'stuff' and pay my debts, and you get to save your marriage with Allison. Imagine what will happen if she comes to know you, and I had placed that bet on her."
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Greg never anticipated this would happen. After a brief thought, he agreed.
"But I need some time," he said.
"Alright! See you soon. Saturday is the deadline, okay?" Adam left, patting Greg's shoulder.
On Friday afternoon, Greg withdrew $5000 from the joint account he shared with Allison. He thought she would not find out but missed guessing she would get a notification on her phone.
"A debit for $5000? Why would Greg need so much money?" Allison wondered and immediately called him to find out.
"Hey, don't mind, it's our money, you know!" she began. "But you never told me you needed $5000? Was there any emergency?"
Greg had no choice but to reveal the truth to Allison.
"...And he threatened he would tell you he had a bet with me and not Sam," Greg confessed. "I was afraid I'd lose you. I really love you, Allison. I cannot live without you and the kids."
Allison laughed, and Greg was shocked. He thought she would blow up on him, but her reaction left him speechless.
"How silly! Darling, do you think I'll leave you for some 'drunk' joke that came back to us?" she went on. "I hate Adam not for the bet or stupid things he did but for abandoning me with the triplets."
Allison hung up on Greg and paused for a while. A thought still hounded her.
"I still wanted to pity that miserable addict...but the blackmail? It was too much," she thought and immediately reported Adam to the cops. He was then arrested for blackmailing Greg and evasion from alimony for twelve years.
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What can we learn from this story?
- Fix your intentions on good deeds because rewards for deeds are based on intentions. Twelve years after abandoning his wife and triplets, Adam returned and blackmailed Greg for a ransom. Ultimately, he got a taste of his own medicine and landed in jail.
- Going through hardships makes us tougher, stronger, and more resilient. Instead of caving in and sulking over her misfortune, Allison decided to work hard and make a name for herself in order to raise her children well.
Tell us what you think, and share this story with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
A woman adopts a beautiful boy with special needs to give him a new life. One day, she finds him napping under a bridge after fleeing from her home. Click here to read the full story.
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. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.
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