Chapter 1
My husband and his precious first love died in a car crash.
They left behind twin sons-illegitimate children-Ben Taylor and Liam Taylor.
Eighteen years flew by.
I poured everything I had into raising those boys. Every drop of effort, every sleepless night. I raised them as my own. And
now?
They’d both been accepted to Harvard.
But on the very day we got the acceptance letters, my world was flipped upside down.
The long-dead husband-Vincent Taylor and the woman he died with-Vivian Davies-came back.
Vivian clung to Ryan’s arm, beaming with smug delight.
“All thanks to your loving care,” she said sweetly. “Our boys made it into Harvard.”
“If it weren’t for your effort,” she added, giggling, “we couldn’t have enjoyed life abroad for so long.”
And then Ryan, my once-dead husband, turned to me and said he wanted a divorce.
He wanted to marry Vivian.
They wanted to be a happy family of four.
And me?
I didn’t cry. I didn’t yell.
I simply smiled and said, “Sure.”
Why not?
“Mom! Mom! We got in! We both got in!”
I was prepping dinner in the kitchen when the two boys came running from the study, shouting at the top of their lungs.
“Mom! Liam and I both got accepted to Harvard!”
They wrapped me in a bear hug, towering over me now.
I looked up at my sons, both over six feet tall, and smiled with pride.
“You two are incredible,” I said. “You’ve made me so proud.”
Their father had been gone for years.
For eighteen years, I raised them on my own. A single mom with no help, no shortcuts.
Now, seeing them admitted to one of the best universities in the world… there are no words for that kind of pride.
Back then, Ryan Taylor and his precious Vivian died in a car crash and left behind twin boys-Ben and Liam.
Everyone told me not to keep them. Said I was crazy to raise the lovechild of my cheating husband and his mistress.
But I did.
I kept them. I raised them. I gave them my heart, my home, and my name.
And now, eighteen years later, my boys had grown into young men under my painstaking dedication, and ultimately
secured admission to Harvard.
“Mom, we couldn’t have done it without you…”
“Yeah, without your guidance, we’d never have made it this far.”
They were always so thoughtful. So kind.
They kept saying that once they graduated and got good jobs, they’d take care of me, make sure I lived well.
My heart swelled with love. I thought for a moment-just a few days from now, it would be their birthday.
In the past, I always booked a private dining room for their birthday dinners. But this year, I decided to go bigger one.
Why not combine their birthday with a college acceptance party?
I booked the banquet hall at the best restaurant in the city.
Then, I shared the news in our extended family group chat.
Within seconds-99+ notifications.
“Liam and Ben are amazing. So proud of them…”
“If Vincent knew how accomplished his sons turned out, he’d be smiling in the afterlife.”
I glanced through the congratulations and dropped the banquet location into the chat.
Then I silenced my phone…
…and waited.
Waited for the celebration that would change everything.
