My Son Called Her Mommy

I had just returned early from a business trip abroad, eager to surprise my five-year-old son. However, as I stood at the entrance of his preschool, the sight before me froze me in place. My son was clinging to my husband's "first love," calling her "Mom."

I moved forward to get my son back, but before I could do anything, she screamed, "Help! A kidnapper is trying to take this child! Let's do the right thing today! Stand up for families who've had their kids stolen!" 

She egged on the bystanders, rallying them to act in the name of justice. Without a second thought, a crowd of people pummeled me right there in the street, hitting me with rocks that smashed into my face, breaking my legs with metal pipes, and ripping the clothes from my body before tying me to a streetlamp.

It was only then that I realized that in the month I'd been away, my husband had moved his first love into our home, taking my place. However, did he forget? He was nothing more than a man who married into my family!

I couldn’t wait to see who couldn’t live without the other!

The moment I stepped off the plane, and without a care of how exhausted I was, I went straight to my son’s preschool, clutching a limited edition Iron Man action figure.

It was something my husband, Jeremy Lynn, had promised our son but never followed through on. Hence, even though my business trip wasn’t technically over, I pushed through the pressure to come back early and surprise my son.

It was the day before a big local fall festival, and the preschool was bustling with activity. My eyes scanned the crowd until I spotted him—my little boy, Daniel Lynn.

He was dressed in an adorable bunny costume, nestled in the arms of a woman, whining in his sweet little voice, “Mom, I want a candy apple.”

At that moment, a chill ran down my spine. That woman was none other than Jeremy’s college sweetheart—Shannon Sinclair!

How could I not recognize her? Jeremy still had his college graduation album, where there was a special photo of him twirling Shannon around in her cap and gown. It was even tucked away in a protective sleeve, with his handwriting on the back, "Shannon, my youth."

“Dan!” I rushed forward, grabbing my son from Shannon’s arms.

Dan turned to look at me but quickly pouted and averted his gaze, refusing to meet my eyes. He was just like his father—silent when angry, never expressing his feelings out loud but letting his discontent simmer underneath.

Was he upset because I’d been gone for too long on this trip?

Softening my tone, I spoke gently, “Dan, I’m back now. Let’s go home, okay?”

Before Dan could answer, Shannon stepped in, holding him protectively while frowning at me. “And who are you? You can't just waltz up to someone else’s kid like this. Do you even know who you’re talking to?”

My anger flared. “Dan is my son! What are you even doing here picking him up?”

Shannon snickered “Oh, he’s your son, is he?”

Then, she shot me a look and casually fixed Dan’s collar. “I’ve been picking up Dan for the past month. Why don’t you ask the teachers who his real mom is?”

My blood was boiling, and without thinking, I reached for Dan. “Dan, look! I got you that Iron Man toy you wanted. Don’t you want it?”

Dan hesitated, almost turning back to me, but Shannon let out a sudden shriek and shoved me hard. “Security! There’s a kidnapper here! Someone grab her!”

The force of her push nearly knocked me off my feet, and before I could steady myself, two burly security guards charged over. Without a word, they tackled me to the ground.