It was a busy Monday morning. The city was buzzing, and inside his sleek office on the 20th floor, 29-year-old Caleb sat at his desk, reviewing his company’s annual report. As the CEO of a major tech firm, he was used to high pressure and fast decisions. But nothing could’ve prepared him for what happened next.
The door creaked open gently.
“Excuse me, sir… I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you. I’ll just mop the floor—it’ll take five minutes,” said a woman holding a mop and cleaning bucket. She looked like she was in her late 50s.
Caleb looked up casually… then froze.
His heart skipped a beat. His eyes locked onto the woman’s face, and he felt a jolt of shock ripple through his chest. She looked just like her. Like the woman he’d only seen in faded, old photographs—his mother. The mother who supposedly died 28 years ago.
“Oh my God…” he whispered. “It’s unbelievable.”
He stared, barely blinking. “It’s okay… please come in,” he said, trying to stay calm. But his eyes never left her face. “Uh… I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. But… your face looks so familiar.”
The woman gave a gentle smile and turned to face him. “My name’s Michelle, sir. I just started here recently. This town’s small… maybe we’ve seen each other around. But I only moved here two weeks ago.”
“I’m Caleb,” he replied, his eyebrows knitting together with confusion. “Michelle… I don’t know why, but something feels strange when I look at you. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s just coincidence,” he said, reaching for his coffee—only to spill it all over his laptop.
“Damn! Not again!” Caleb jumped back in frustration.
“Don’t worry, sir, I’ve got it.” Michelle dropped her mop and rushed to his desk. She quickly rolled up her sleeves and began wiping the laptop carefully. Caleb watched her—closely. That’s when he saw it.
A scar.
On her left arm was a distinct, oval-shaped burn mark. His heart pounded.
“There you go, sir… your laptop’s clean,” she said with a warm smile.
Caleb pointed to her arm. “That scar… how did you get it?”
Michelle looked down at it, then chuckled awkwardly. “Oh, this? It’s strange… but I don’t remember. I lost all my memories over 20 years ago. The doctors called it amnesia. I didn’t even know my own name. I saw the name ‘Michelle’ on a billboard and decided to use it.”
Caleb sat still. His mind was racing.
“What about family? Friends? Anyone from your past?” he asked, still staring at the scar.
Michelle’s face fell. “I don’t have anyone,” she said softly. “Nobody came looking for me—not even when I was in the hospital. I’ve been living like a wanderer… and finally found a job here.”
Caleb’s instincts screamed at him. He didn’t want to jump to wild conclusions, but the resemblance… the scar… the timeline. It all fit too perfectly.
“Michelle,” he said carefully, “this is going to sound insane. But… you look exactly like my mother. She died when I was a baby—28 years ago. I’ve only seen her in an old photo, but… you look just like her. She had the same scar on her arm.”
Michelle’s eyes widened. “What? I look like your mother?” she asked, stunned.
“Yes,” Caleb nodded. “And I know this is crazy, but… would you come with me to the hospital? I want to take a DNA test. Just to find out. Something inside me says this isn’t just a coincidence.”
Michelle hesitated, then nodded slowly. “You know what? I’ve always wondered who I really was. Let’s do it.”
The two left the office, and as Caleb drove through traffic, a heavy silence filled the car. His thoughts spiraled.
“What if I’m wrong?” he thought. “What if she’s just a stranger… and my mom really is gone?”
He glanced at Michelle in the rearview mirror. Her eyes… they were hauntingly familiar.
His mind drifted to the memory of that strange photo he found when he was 17…
Twelve Years Ago
“Like this! See? Just twist the claw hammer and pull out the rotten plank!” Caleb’s dad, William, was teaching him home repairs one Saturday afternoon.
“That was a good plank—perfect for firewood!” William joked as he tossed wood onto a pile.
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Dad, why can’t we just hire someone? This is boring!”
William chuckled. “Champ, if we pay others for everything, we’ll end up broke and lazy—like your Uncle Dexter!”
“Yeah, yeah…” Caleb muttered as he climbed into the attic to work on the floorboards. But something caught his eye. Beneath one of the planks was an old, weathered photo.
He picked it up. A woman he didn’t recognize was holding a baby.
“Who is this?” he whispered, flipping the photo over. On the back, it read:
“Baby Caleb with Mommy. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart :)”
His breath caught. Mommy? That baby… was him?
But the woman didn’t look like his mom—Olivia. And she had a scar. Just like Michelle’s.
Racing downstairs, Caleb burst into the yard. “Dad! What is this? Who is this woman?”
William turned pale. “Where… where did you find that?”
“In the attic. Under a floorboard. Is this… my mom?”
William sighed and led Caleb into the kitchen. He grabbed a beer, took a long sip, then finally spoke.
“Caleb… Olivia is not your birth mother.”
Caleb’s hands trembled. “Then… who is?”
“Your real mom… she died in a car crash. You were just a baby. I never told you because… I wanted to protect you. I wanted you to grow up happy. That’s why I married Olivia. She raised you as her own.”
Caleb fought back tears. “I understand, Dad… but you should’ve told me.”
“I’m sorry, son,” William said, holding back tears.
The next day, William took Caleb to the cemetery. They stood before a weathered grave: Sarah J.
“Hello, Sarah,” William said softly. “Your son is here.”
Caleb dropped to his knees and wept. “Goodbye, Mom… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I’ll visit again, I promise.”
Back in the Present
A loud honk snapped Caleb out of his thoughts. Michelle leaned forward. “Sir? We’re almost there.”
“Right. Sorry. Let’s go,” he said and drove to the hospital.
Inside, Caleb rushed to the front desk. “We need a DNA maternity test. Please—we’ll pay extra. We need results today.”
Hours passed. Caleb and Michelle waited in silence.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.
“I remember waking up in the woods. A woodcutter said I was floating in a river. Then the hospital… and nothing after that.”
Just then, a nurse walked over with a sealed envelope. Caleb snatched it, opened it with trembling hands—and gasped.
“Maternity rate… 99.99%,” he read aloud. “You are my MOTHER!”
Tears streamed down his face as he hugged her tight. “Mom… it’s really you!”
Michelle sobbed. “I have a son… after all these years!”
But Caleb’s joy turned to confusion. “Why did Dad lie? What really happened?”
“I think we need to find out,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “Come with me.”
An Hour Later
Caleb and Michelle sat in the car, parked near William’s mansion.
“Are you ready?” Caleb asked.
Michelle nodded. “I remember everything. Let’s do this.”
She walked up to the door and knocked. A moment later, William opened it.
“Jennifer?” he gasped.
Michelle smiled. “No… I’m Michelle. From Mayflower Cosmetics. I have a free gift set for your wife.”
William blinked. “But… you look exactly like…”
“I get that a lot,” Michelle laughed. “I have amnesia. Don’t remember anything from over 20 years ago.”
William’s face tensed. “Amnesia?” He studied her closely… then saw the scar. His eyes widened in horror.
“Would you like a coffee while I show you the gift set?” Michelle offered.
“Y-Yeah. Sure… come in,” William said.
Michelle stepped inside, heart pounding.
Behind the wheel, Caleb watched.
“Let’s see what secrets come out now,” he whispered, his eyes locked on the house.
The truth was finally knocking at the door.
