“It’s Not Yours, But Please Take Care of Him”

After a long, exhausting day at work, all Almudena wanted was to have dinner with her husband, take a hot bath, and forget about the world under the covers. The day had been hellish—endless reports, nonstop calls, and the usual stress. She parked in her building’s courtyard, activated the alarm with the remote, and headed toward the entrance. Just as she was about to take out her keys, hesitant footsteps made her turn around. There stood a slim young woman, about eighteen years old, holding a baby wrapped in a blanket.

—“Excuse me… are you Almudena? Adrián’s wife?” the girl asked in a trembling voice.

—“Yes,” Almudena replied warily. “Is something wrong?”

—“My name is Lucía… I’m sorry to bother you like this, but… this is Adrián’s son. His name is Mateo. I don’t know what to do… I was working as a delivery girl, and that day I brought a package to your husband. Right before that, my boyfriend had left me. I was devastated, crying during my shift. Adrián tried to comfort me…”

—“Quite the comfort, huh?” Almudena snapped sarcastically. “And what do you expect from me now?”

—“I have nowhere to go… no home, no help. I can’t take it anymore. Please, take him. He’s your husband’s child…”

—“No way, sweetheart! You gave birth to him, so you deal with it. What does this have to do with me?” Almudena turned on her heel and walked inside, but inside, she was fuming.

No matter how much she pretended to be indifferent, the idea that Adrián had cheated—and might even have fathered a child—ate away at her. That night, when he came home, she got straight to the point:

—“Did you sleep with Lucía?”

He lowered his eyes—no lies, no excuses. Just a whisper:

—“Yes… It was once… I was a mess… I regret it every day.”

Before they could talk further, there was a knock at the door. Adrián opened it and returned 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 collapsed beneath him. Almudena took the baby in her arms, looked at his frightened little face, and ordered:

—“Go to the pharmacy. Get bottles, diapers, formula… Now.”

And so, Mateo stayed with them. Days passed, then weeks. Adrián, completely lost, couldn’t handle fatherhood, and his parents refused to accept the baby, calling Lucía “just another tramp.” Under pressure, Adrián demanded a DNA test. The results shocked them: 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, fine. If not, the door’s open. But I’m not abandoning him. If heaven didn’t give us a child, maybe it was because it saved this one for me.”

Adrián left. He ended the marriage. Almudena stayed behind, but she didn’t give up. A nanny and even the neighbors helped her take care of Mateo. Until one day, the child got sick—high fever, seizures… an emergency admission. Pneumonia. Sleepless nights by his hospital bed.

It was there that she met Dr. Javier—a calm and kind man who cared for Mateo and, over time, began looking at Almudena with different eyes. One day, he said:

—“Lucía came by asking about the baby…”

—“If she returns,” Almudena replied, “bring her to me.”

And so he did. Lucía returned and, in tears, confessed that she had finally discovered the truth: Mateo was the child of her ex-boyfriend who had abandoned her. In her desperation, she had turned to Adrián—the only person who had shown her compassion without judgment.

Almudena didn’t scream or blame her. She listened… and suddenly remembered the miscarriage she had suffered as a young woman. Maybe the universe was offering her a second chance.

—“Come live with me,” she said. “Let’s start fresh. Go to school. We’ll get through this.”

Lucía cried, then accepted. She went to college, met a good man, and got married. She 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 be willing to forgive—and listen to your heart.