The Watsons kicked their daughter Paige out of the house one winter day when she announced that she was pregnant with her boyfriend’s child. However, years later, their paths crossed again when Mr. Watson approached Paige for help.
Paige met Justin while walking down her high school corridor with a stack of books. She tripped over something and was about to fall when Justin rushed to her aid and saved her. Paige thanked the man for his kindness before shyly gathering her books and departing.
Since that day, it seemed as if an unknown force was at work, causing them to cross paths every day. Soon after, these unexpected encounters blossomed into love, and they promised to be a part of each other’s lives until death.
Paige never told her parents about Justin for a long time, fearing they would never accept him. But when she became pregnant, the ridge of her baby soon appeared, and it was no longer possible to hide it. As a result, she mustered courage and told them that she wanted to raise the child. But her parents weren’t impressed with her thoughts.
“PREGNANT?! Tell me it’s not true, Paige!” Mrs. Watson yelled at her daughter. “You can’t have a child with that poor creep!”
“Oh, enough, mom!” Paige retorted. “I’m 18. I’m not a child anymore. Justin and I love each other, and yes, this is our baby!”
“Then you’ll have to abort it, Paige,” her father declared. “That child will not have our name! It’s a disgrace for my daughter to be pregnant before marriage and with a man who’s just a janitor!”
“I don’t care, dad!” Paige said. “Justin is a nice man. He agreed to take responsibility for our child, and I want to have this child too! I’m not terminating the pregnancy!”
“Have you lost your mind, Paige? Are you really choosing that man over us?” her mother shouted angrily.
“It’s not me, mom! It’s you guys! I agree, Justin doesn’t come from wealth, but I love him, mom. Why can’t you guys just accept him?”
“No way, Paige! Nobody in our family has ever married someone from a lower social class, and you will not either. Get the hell out of here if you want to raise that man’s blood! You’re no longer alive to us as of today!”
Poor Paige had tears in her eyes when her father ordered her to leave. She looked at her mother with pitiful eyes, thinking that being a mother, she’d understand her plight, but it was all in vain. Her mother was as against her pregnancy as her father, and they didn’t hesitate to throw their pregnant daughter out of the house in the bitter cold.
Paige was wearing a thin nightgown and slippers as she walked out of her parents’ home and headed over to Justin’s. It was snowing outside, and she was trembling and shivering in the cold, clutching her baby bump. She somehow made it to Justin’s house that evening, but even before she could ring the doorbell, her vision dimmed, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Luckily, that evening, Justin had decided to go to a nearby store. When he stepped out of the house and saw her lying unconscious, he immediately dialed 911 and took her to the hospital.
The woman, on waking up, realized the worst had already happened — she had lost their child.
“Justin!” she sobbed as she clutched his hand. “Our child! I lost our baby, Justin!” She couldn’t stop crying.
“Everything will be fine, Paige,” he hugged her and consoled her, hiding the tears in his eyes. “I’m here with you.”
But nothing could console her at the time, and for several days, she continued to blame herself for her child’s death. Justin temporarily forgot about everything and focused all of his attention on Paige. Thankfully, with his assistance, she gradually emerged from her depression and resolved to start afresh.
Paige and Justin moved in together after she was discharged from the hospital, and they both began looking for stable employment. Justin was fortunate enough to find one at a car rental service, and Paige decided to finish her studies first, working part-time jobs at the same time to supplement their income.
A few years later, she graduated with a law degree and started interning at a reputable firm. When the internship ended, the firm, impressed by her performance, hired her as a full-time employee, and then Paige and Justin decided to take out a mortgage for the apartment. Soon Paige found out she was expecting a baby, and the couple was over the moon, to say the least.
Paige’s parents never reached out to her all these years, not even when Paige sent them a letter once, telling them that she’d forgiven them and wanted to see them.
Nine months later, when she gave birth to a beautiful girl, she took a break from work to spend time with her baby. Meanwhile, Justin had started his own car rental business, which was doing quite well. He had made the decision that he would never let his daughter miss out on anything, and he was doing everything he could to make that happen.
When little Julia turned 1, Paige opened a small consultation service at her home and started taking a few cases before returning to a full-time job. One day, she received a request to handle a criminal case, and the client asked her to meet her at a restaurant.
Paige froze in shock when she arrived at the restaurant and saw her father sitting at the table. The once arrogant man now looked extremely frail, and it took Paige a moment to realize that the man behind the wrinkly face and sunken cheeks was indeed her father.
“Did you think I wouldn’t come to see you if you mentioned your name in the mail?” she asked as she approached him. “Well, if that’s the case, let me tell you, I would’ve because I’m not like you guys.”
Her father looked at her with teary eyes. “Sorry, Paige! Please forgive us for what we did! We need your help!”
“Yeah, go ahead. I know that’s the only reason you remembered me after all these years. So what did you guys mess up this time?”
“Oh Paige, we’ve miss you, but we were so embarrassed that we never dared to confront you. But that’s not the point. Your mother needs help. We’ve been running around the courts for two years, and all our money was drained in the process. We now live in a small apartment, all thanks to your mother! Because of her, 3 people lost their lives. She was drinking and driving, and the best we could do to save her was get a certificate that she was sober behind the wheel.”
“I see,” Paige sighed.
“You have to help us, Paige. But we won’t be able to pay your fees. I’m so sorry for all of this!”
“It’s okay, dad!” Paige said. “I never asked you for money. Let me see what I can do.” Paige paid for their bill, collected the documents about her mother’s case from her father, and left.
At home at night, she went through the case files and realized that an agreement between the two parties was the only way to save her mother. So she went to the victims’ families, convinced them that her mother had already lost everything, and had been punished for her deeds.
In the courtroom a week later, the victims’ families agreed to monetary compensation, and Paige’s mother was freed from the charges. The woman couldn’t stop crying and was about to thank her daughter for stepping up when Paige left the courtroom.
Mrs. Watson rushed out of the courtroom behind her daughter and saw her with Justin and a child. “What’s your name, honey?” she asked the little girl, realizing that the child resembled her daughter and was her granddaughter.
“I’m Julia!” The girl smiled.
“You have a lovely name, Julia! Would you like to come and see me someday?” Mrs. Watson inquired.
“Perhaps later,” Paige interjected. “We have plans for the evening.”
“Yes, that’s fine!” Mrs. Watson exclaimed. “But I must say, Paige, she bears a striking resemblance to you! You have a lovely daughter.”
“Well, she resembles her father more, mom!” Paige said firmly. “Remember the poor man who wasn’t up to your standards? Anyway, we’ll leave now. Goodbye!”
Paige knew that if her parents had not kicked her out into the street, Julia would have had another sister or brother. But if Julia wants to see her grandparents, she will not forbid her. However, the woman was not ready to forgive them. There was still a lot of pain in her chest from losing her first child and her parents abandoning her, only to return when they needed help.