Every Time I Almost Died, She Appeared

I grew up in a group home.

But I always knew I had a mother.

She was like my invisible guardian angel. Whenever I was in danger, she would appear out of nowhere to save me.

This was our silent, unspoken understanding over the years.

The other kids at the group home used to laugh at me, saying I was delusional.

"Just wait until she comes back!" I would yell. "Then you'll see I'm not lying!"

Sometimes, kind-hearted couples came wanting to adopt me.

But I always refused. "No. I'm waiting for my real mom to take me home!"

Eventually, all the kids who entered the home at the same time as me were adopted.

I was the only one left, completely alone.

Mrs. Gable, the director, sighed and sat down beside me.

"Stop waiting, Chloe. Your mother isn't coming back."

But I didn't believe her. Not even for a second. Because I knew the truth.

My mom had just visited me the night before.

"Chloe, a lovely couple is here. They want to meet you. Why don't you come to the garden with me?"

Mrs. Gable stroked my hair gently as she spoke.

"They just want to talk and get to know you. They aren't trying to force you to leave with them."

"I heard they even brought you a little gift. Don't you want to see what it is?"

Looking at her warm smile, I knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying to coax me into another adoption meeting.

Because I was quiet and well-behaved, countless people had wanted to adopt me over the years.

But every single time, I rejected them.

This time was no different.

"Im not going! Stop tricking me, Mrs. Gable. They dont just want to talk. They want to take me away!"

"How many times do I have to say it? I have a mom! Im waiting for my real mom to take me home!"

I stood up, hands on my hips, looking at her with absolute seriousness.

Mrs. Gable let out a long sigh, her eyes filled with pity.

"Chloe, everyone else from your group has been adopted. Theyve started new lives. They have loving homes, and parents who adore them."

"If you're worried about your foster parents treating you badly, I promise Ill visit you every single week. Ill make sure you grow up happy and healthy, okay?"

I didn't even look up.

Instead, I kept coloring the greeting card in my hands and replied casually,

"I'm making a card for my mom. I don't have time to talk."

"She came to see me last night. I'm going to leave this card by the window tonight. When she comes back next time, shell get my present!"

To prove my point, I waved the card in front of Mrs. Gable.

Just then, Harper walked past the room. She was another girl from the home, and she had just been adopted by a wealthy young couple.

Today was her moving day.

Hearing my words, she burst into a loud, mocking laugh.

"Mrs. Gable, is Chloe actually crazy?"

"She brags about having a mom every day, but shes never even seen her face!"

"No wonder no one wants to adopt you, Chloe. Youre a total psycho!"

With a smug sneer, she turned around, grabbed her new parents' hands, and walked away.

Mrs. Gable immediately tried to soothe me. "Chloe, don't listen to Harper. She didn't mean it."

Why would I be angry?

I knew I wasn't crazy. I didn't care about Harper's insults at all.

Soon, I would prove to everyone that I wasn't lying.

That night, I purposely used a pair of scissors to make a small cut on my finger. Then, I placed the greeting card right on the windowsill.

When I woke up the next morning, a cartoon bear band-aid was neatly wrapped around my finger. The card on the windowsill was gone.

I jumped out of bed, practically screaming with joy as I ran into the courtyard.

"Mrs. Gable! I told you my mom is real!"

"Look at this!"

I rushed up to her and held my finger high in the air.

Mrs. Gable stared at the band-aid, completely stunned.

But a second later, she smiled warmly at me.

"I believe you, Chloe."

"Because your biological family has actually found you."

"They are coming to take you home today."

My eyes widened. I couldn't believe my ears.

Mom was really coming back!

My card actually worked!

Suddenly, a deep voice sounded from behind me.

"Sweetheart, I've come to take you home."

I turned around excitedly, but then I froze.

The person standing there was not my mother. It was a strange man.

I stared at the stranger, a sudden wave of anger washing over me.

This man was not my mother. Why was he pretending to be my family?

He just wanted to take me away so that when my mom came back, she wouldn't be able to find me!

"I don't know you! I'm not going with you!" Tears welled up in my eyes, and I hid behind Mrs. Gable.

The man pulled a small teddy bear out from behind his back, knelt down, and spoke softly.

"Chloe, I brought you this bear. See? It has the exact same cartoon pattern as the band-aid on your finger. Do you like it?"

I stared at the bear, completely frozen.

How did he know what pattern was on my band-aid?

Did he know my mom?

Before I could process this, Mrs. Gable gently explained the situation to me.

"Chloe, this is your biological father, William Sterling."

"They found your profile in the national DNA database a few days ago. That's when they realized you were the daughter they lost years ago."

"Ive personally verified the DNA test reports. You are indeed his daughter."

I didn't fully understand the technical terms, but I understood the words "biological daughter."

Did this mean I could finally find my mom?

I tugged at Mrs. Gable's sleeve and asked quietly,

"Where is my mom, then?"

Before Mrs. Gable could answer, William gently patted my head and smiled.

"She has some business to attend to today, so she couldn't make it."

"But once you come home with me, youll get to see her."

Tears of pure joy threatened to spill over.

I was finally going to see my mother!

I wanted her to take my hand and show the whole world that I wasn't a liar, that she had been protecting me from the shadows all along!

After finishing the paperwork, I went back to my room to pack my few pieces of old clothing.

But William stopped me.

He picked me up in his arms, his voice filled with affection.

"Tomorrow, I'll take you shopping. We'll buy a hundred new outfits!"

"Let's leave these old clothes behind. Consider it a farewell to the past."

I didn't care about the clothes. I just wanted to see my mom.

So I nodded, letting him carry me out of the group home.

The moment we stepped through the front gates, a crowd of reporters and paparazzi surrounded us.

They shoved microphones into my face, shouting over one another.

"Are you the girl adopted by the CEO of Sterling Group?"

"Why did Mr. Sterling choose to adopt you?"

"Sweetheart, how does it feel to suddenly become the heiress of the wealthiest family in the state? Do you know your life is about to change forever?"

Faced with the flashing cameras and loud voices, my face crumpled.

"I don't care about money. I just want to see my mom."

Before I could say anything else, William angrily pushed the microphones away.

"This is a private family matter! Show some respect to my daughter!"

"She is just a child. Stop asking her such superficial questions!"

He shielded me through the crowd and placed me into the back of a luxury SUV.

During the drive, I couldn't stop imagining what my mom looked like.

Would she look like me?

Would she like the card I made for her?

Why had she stayed in the shadows for so many years?

I had so many questions, and I wanted to ask her face-to-face.

But it was okay. We had plenty of time now.

The car stopped in front of a massive, beautiful mansion. I immediately jumped out and ran inside.

"Mom!" I screamed, rushing through the front doors.

Standing in the grand foyer was a young, elegant woman with her arms wide open.

Next to her stood a young girl about my age.

"Chloe, come here. Let me give you a hug," the woman said with a warm smile.

But I froze right in my tracks and screamed,

"You are not my mom!"

The womans smile faltered, and her arms dropped slowly to her sides.

William quickly knelt beside me, trying to soothe me.

"Chloe, you shouldn't speak to your mother like that."

The woman didn't seem angry. Instead, she looked at me with deep sympathy.

"Its okay, William. It's natural that Chloe can't accept me right away. We have plenty of time."

She looked at me and said, "If it makes you more comfortable, you can call me Valerie. I want us to build a real relationship, however long it takes."

Then, she nudged the young girl beside her.

The girl stepped forward, grabbing my hand with a sweet smile.

"Hi, Chloe. I'm your sister, Evie."

Despite their friendliness, I remained completely cold.

Because I had seen my real mother in the dark the night before. Even though I couldn't see her face clearly, I saw her silhouette.

My real mother had short hair. This woman, Valerie, had very long hair.

No matter how much time passed, this woman would never be my mother.

William took me up to my bedroom. It was beautiful, warm, and bright.

Most importantly, the bed was covered in plush teddy bearsthe exact same design as the cartoon bear on my band-aid.

My real mom must have set this up for me.

In the days that followed, William and Valerie took great care of me.

But the better they treated me, the sadder I felt.

Why wasn't my real mom here with me?

She was the one who had protected me in the dark all these years. Why was someone else taking her place in the light?

One evening, Valerie came up to my room to call me down for dinner. I was sitting on the floor, playing with the teddy bears.

"Chloe, dinner's ready. Let's go down to eat."

Then, she glanced at the plush toys scattered all over the floor.

A look of disgust flashed across her face, and she muttered under her breath,

"I honestly don't get what's so special about these stupid cheap bears..."

Hearing her words, a wild rage exploded inside me.

I grabbed my slipper and threw it hard at her, screaming,

"They are not stupid! My mom gave them to me!"

Valerie was shocked by my sudden outburst. She dodged the slipper, her own temper instantly flaring.

"Stop living in a fantasy world! Your mother abandoned you a long time ago!"

"I've had enough of walking on eggshells around you! You're just an ungrateful brat!"

I froze, tears streaming down my face.

Valerie's mouth was still moving, but I couldn't hear a word she was saying.

Only one sentence kept echoing in my head: Your mother abandoned you.

William ran upstairs after hearing the commotion, looking shocked at the scene.

"What is going on here?"

Valeries face was red with anger as she pointed a finger at me.

"Your daughter! She just threw her shoe at me!"

"You should have left her in that group home! Not only is she completely delusional about having a mother, but now shes turning violent!"

"Is she going to burn the house down next? I'm warning you, William, if she hurts a single hair on Evie's head, I won't let this go!"

I didn't care about her accusations.

My mind was completely shattered by the thought that my mother didn't want me.

"Dad! Valerie is lying! She said my mom abandoned me!"

"My mom protects me every single day! How could she not want me!"

I rushed to my drawer and pulled out the cartoon band-aid I had saved.

Even though my cut had healed long ago, I kept it like a precious treasure.

"Look! This is the band-aid she gave me! It matches the bears on my bed!"

"She loves me! She would never abandon me!"

I sobbed, my tears soaking the front of my shirt.

A flash of pain went through William's eyes. He took a deep breath, knelt down, and said quietly,

"Chloe... your mother did abandon you."

Before I could even process his words, William began to tell me the story of what happened years ago.

"When you were a year old, your mother said she was taking you to a local market."

"But she never came back. I called the police, but no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find a trace of either of you."

"The investigators told me she had most likely run away with you. It happened a lot back then."

"I really thought she had fallen in love with someone else and took you with her. So, I filed for divorce. Later, I met Valerie, and she helped me rebuild my life."

"It wasn't until I found your DNA match recently that I realized you had been living in a group home all these years. Your mother... she must have dumped you on the side of the road back then."

"Thank God a kind stranger found you and took you to the shelter, otherwise you would have died out there..."

His words felt like sharp needles stabbing directly into my heart.

Was it true?

Did my mother really abandon me?

I stood there, paralyzed, as tears poured down my cheeks.

Seeing my state, William gently patted my head.

"I know it's hard to accept, Chloe. But I need you to move on so you can start your new life."

"Whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be in the other room."

With that, he walked out with Valerie.

I clutched the cartoon band-aid in my hand, a suffocating darkness swallowing me whole.

My mother didn't want me. My father had a new family.

My existence felt entirely pointless.

Hearing the faint sound of laughter from the other room where William, Valerie, and Evie were, the last string in my mind snapped.

I don't know how long I stood there, but by the time I snapped out of it, it was late at night.

I quietly crept up to the roof of the mansion, clutching the band-aid.

Staring at the little bear pattern, I laughed through my tears.

"Mom, you're a liar."

With that, I took a step forward and jumped.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying safely in my bed, completely unharmed.

On the nightstand beside me, there was a brand-new cartoon bear band-aid.

In that moment, I knew. My mom had saved me.

She had never abandoned me. She loved me more than life itself.

I resolved to stay alive. I would live until the day I could finally hold her in my arms.

From that day on, I was no longer quiet or sullen. I became active, vibrant, and threw myself into my studies.

William and Valerie were shocked by my sudden transformation, but they were genuinely happy to see me thriving.

Even though William had destroyed all photos of my mother in his anger years ago, leaving me with no idea what she looked like, it didn't matter.

I studied as hard as I could. If I climbed high enough, I would eventually find her.

And when that day came, I would stand proudly by her side.

Years later, when the SAT scores were released, I received a call from the admissions office.

"Chloe Sterling, you scored a perfect 1600. You are the state valedictorian."

"Harvard's prestigious finance program has extended an invitation. Would you like to accept?"

William was ecstatic when he heard the news.

"That's my girl! You'll study finance and take over the Sterling Group one day!"

But my face remained completely blank. I said softly,

"I'm not going to Harvard. I made a promise to my mom. I'm going to find her."

William's face instantly twisted in rage.

He pointed a finger at my face and yelled,

"I thought you had grown out of this nonsense! You're still as naive as you were years ago!"

"I told you, she abandoned you! You don't even know who she is or what she looks like!"

"I'm warning you, Chloe. If you run off to chase this imaginary mother of yours, you are cut off from the Sterling family! I will disown you!"

I didn't argue. I went straight to my room and packed my bags.

That very night, I moved out of the Sterling mansion. No matter how much William pleaded afterward, I never looked back.

Because I finally knew who my mother was.