When her daughter-in-law, Eve, became pregnant, Madeleine didn’t trust her. She believed the baby wasn’t her son Elliot’s. Eventually, Elliot had a fight with Eve and got into a car accident while drunk. Madeleine stopped speaking to Eve, but a year later, she saw Eve’s grave next to her son’s and uncovered the incredible truth.
Madeleine Brady walked through Glenwood Cemetery, looking for her son’s grave. She knew exactly where it was but had only visited it twice since his death. It was still hard to believe that Elliot was gone. She shook her head at the thought, as it had been haunting her for a year now. Could I have done things differently? she wondered many times.
But the answer was hard to find. Elliot had married a woman named Eve, despite Madeleine’s concerns. The young woman had no family and worked as a waitress. Meanwhile, Madeleine always wanted something better for her son. But he was adamant, and they married.
Sadly, after almost two years of trying to have a baby, they discovered Elliot might never have children. Apparently, his sperm was not very mobile. The doctors suggested several treatments, but they didn’t tell Madeleine; it was their private matter.
Miraculously, Eve became pregnant just months after their first visit to the fertility specialist, and the young couple was overjoyed. But Madeleine couldn’t believe it. “Elliot, she must have cheated on you! This isn’t your baby!” insisted the older woman, urging her son to take a paternity test.
“Mum, you don’t know anything. The treatments are extraordinary. This is my child,” replied her son, confident at the time.
“I hope you’re a hundred percent sure before you end up raising another man’s child!” she replied.
In the following months, Madeleine kept badgering Elliot about it. She wouldn’t let up until he took the test.
At first, Elliot was sure his wife hadn’t cheated on him, but his mother’s words kept ringing in his mind. When he asked Eve to take a paternity test, she was offended. “I can’t believe you! This is our miracle baby,” she said, holding her belly to protect it.
“If this was my baby, you’d have no problem taking the test!” he replied, as the thought that she had cheated took over his emotions. They screamed at each other until Elliot gave in. He went to a friend’s place and got drunk. Sadly, he never came home after a terrible car accident.
Madeleine was inconsolable and shot Eve a deathly glare throughout the funeral. Later that day, the pregnant woman tried to talk to her, but Madeleine told her to leave. Eve reached out, but there was nothing but silence for the rest of the week. She eventually gave up, and the older woman never heard from her again.
But Madeleine thought about Eve while standing by her son’s grave. She sighed. “Maybe I could have helped her with the baby, even if it wasn’t Elliot’s,” the older woman thought, silently lamenting the absence of grandchildren now. But there was nothing she could do.
She placed a bouquet on the ground and looked around, noticing a tombstone that hadn’t been there during her last visit. Madeleine’s jaw dropped when she saw the name: “Eve Brady.” It was her. It was her former daughter-in-law!
“What happened? What…?” she whispered as she approached the gravestone. But it only had Eve’s name. “And the baby?”
She acted immediately, rushing out of the cemetery and into her car. At Eve’s old apartment, she met the landlord, who happened to be visiting the property that day. Unfortunately, the man had some terrible news for Madeleine.
“Ah yes. Eve was a good tenant. She always paid on time. But she died during childbirth. It was horrible. I heard no one was there for her at the hospital, so I paid for her tombstone. Everyone should have a tombstone to be remembered, you know?” the man revealed, distractedly looking at his notepad. He was clearly busy and wanted to end the conversation.
“Do you know what happened to her baby?” Madeleine asked desperately.
“I think they were sent to BabyLove DC,” the man replied. “I’m sorry, I have to go. Have a good day, madam.”
“Wait!” she called, stopping him in his tracks. “What do you mean by ‘they’?”
“Oh, I heard Eve had twins.”
Madeleine was stunned. She couldn’t believe it. “Two babies. What if I’m wrong? They could be Elliot’s children!” she thought desperately. The older woman got back in her car and searched for BabyLove DC’s address on her phone, starting to drive. The orphanage wasn’t too far, but Madeleine wasn’t sure if the babies would still be there.
If Eve had died in childbirth, the babies must be around seven or six months old. They were probably already adopted.
She reached the place, entered the building, and told a staff member she was looking for her missing grandchildren. The young woman called the director, and Madeleine was escorted to his office.
“Ms. Brady, could you tell me more about your grandchildren?” the director asked.
The older woman broke down and told him everything that had happened a year ago. How she didn’t believe Eve was carrying her son’s baby, how he died in a car accident, and how she had avoided her daughter-in-law. She cried into her hands, and the director offered her a tissue.
“And the mother’s name was Eve Brady, right?” the man checked as he typed on his computer.
“Yes, that’s my daughter-in-law.”
“Well, Ms. Brady, you’re in luck. The babies are still here. A few families are interested in them, though. But if your story is true, and you are the biological grandmother, you have priority over everyone,” said the director, raising his eyebrows.
“Isn’t that good news?” the older woman asked, drying her tears and feeling hope for the first time that day.
“It’s normal. But Ms. Brady, twins are a lot of work. Are you sure you want them?” the director asked seriously, crossing his hands on his desk.
Madeleine thought for a few seconds. She could raise these babies, but was it the right choice for them? “I, at least, need to know if they are Elliot’s children. Can we do a DNA test?” the older woman pleaded.
The director nodded and stood up. He had no problem with the request and took Madeleine to meet the babies. They were adorable. She immediately fell in love with them. The orphanage then proceeded with the DNA test, and a few days later, the results confirmed that they were Madeleine’s grandchildren.
The director asked her again if she really wanted to take them in. “They might be adopted soon,” he added, tilting his head, encouraging her to make the right decision.
But Madeleine couldn’t let them go. She didn’t know if they would have good families, and she couldn’t leave their fate to chance. Plus, there was so much guilt in her heart. If she hadn’t poisoned her son against his wife, they might still be happily together. This was her way of seeking forgiveness.
She brought the babies home and hired a nanny to help her. The older woman also took precautions in case something happened to her, changing her will and deciding who would take the children. No matter what happened, these babies would be safe.
Luckily, she lived several more decades, and her grandchildren, Eva and Elise, grew up to become beautiful people, just like their parents had been.
