The leader

One might argue that tables have turned, but some ingrained thoughts are hard to let go of. The pitiable judgments instilled in men for women today are more or less the same. Men don’t want women who could lead as their partners. They feel threatened by such distinguished characters and usually look for a woman who could easily talk into things.

As a result, power in women seems a mismatch to their feminine characteristics for many men. But, holding back from her dreams and aspirations wasn’t an option for Anna. She was adamant about looking for a man so different that he could see beauty and elegance in her strength.

Anna on a tour

A strong woman like Anna knew her way out of her problems. Apart from the tour for work, she would take a solo trip to the destination of her choice. She felt like a better person and felt a deep connection with nature. In fact, her humane and compassionate heart would show up after socializing with people from different cultures.

Consequently, Anna realized that there was more to life than her obsession with going up the career ladder. Her self-confidence got boosted with her feeling satisfied with her existence. She felt like she had been sent for a reason, which was to connect with life itself.

Love ringing its bells

Finding your soulmate when on tour isn’t unheard of. Anna was looking at the trip as an opportunity to know herself better. With every journey she would take, Anna would fall in love with her ideologies and depth even more. She received a whole package of happiness with her trip.

Besides, Anna became one of the group members at a cafe, all of whom were headed to Argentina. However, Anna locked eyes with a guy who had a shy nature and soon realized that she had fallen in love from the moment she laid her eyes on him. This bashful guy was named Patrick and had a unique aura to him.

Match made in Heaven

Anna and Patrick spent the rest of the trip together. After tapping into his life, Anna discovered that the duo had a lot of things in common. Patrick loved traveling as much as Anna did, and they shared a spiritual connection. As the days passed, they got more comfortable with each other and felt closer.

Furthermore, their fondness for each other grew stronger with the time spent together. They both knew that they were in it for the long run. Parting ways from each other seemed painful, and their mutual feelings made them even more attracted to each other. It felt as if they knew one another from the beginning.

Patrick, the warrior

Not only did the couple have similar interests, but they also had the same regional background. Coming from the same neighborhood, their belief in the match got further established. Patrick worked as a firefighter. He was a warrior who sought solace in helping extinguish fires that could cause casualties.

In addition, he had sprains and strains as a consequence of saving lives. He wore all his scars as a badge of honor, which further pleased Anna. Besides, all the pieces fell into place when Anna discovered that he was as career-driven as her. Patrick was the man of her dreams, and they saw life blossoming from there.

New career path

Patrick worked as a firefighter and saved lives. This was the passion that gave his life meaning. However, he met with a terrible accident that injured him severely. He got discharged after spending many months in the hospital and knew that it was time to take a turn.

He bore his scars and wounds as a badge of honor. However, his love for his job had to come to an end. Patrick channeled his experience with people into becoming a junior marketer. This was a huge career change for him since he had always been a firefighter. Moreover, it was time that he tested the waters and found his ideal job.

Love in the air

Lives for Anna and Patrick seemed bland without each other. They were completely in love and this growing affection knew no bounds. The two had already created enough memories to start daydreaming about. Their collective experiences were shared with zest and zeal.

Furthermore, seeing their lives intertwining rapidly, moving in together seemed the next best choice to opt for, and so they did. They began their journey in unison and enjoyed listening to music with coziness. Now, their love for each other was running through their veins. Life for them was nothing less than an answered prayer.

Clues hidden in actions

Declaration of their affection for each other was made through both words and actions. They lived up to their promises of keeping the spark of their love ignited despite their engagement with work. Most importantly, Anna and Patrick made sure to take time out of their busy days to be together.

They were truly inseparable, and Patrick saw in her a woman with who he wanted to have children. He felt Anna was the perfect fit for him. Therefore, with things already looking good for both of them, Patrick decided to ask Anna’s hand in marriage. He couldn’t have asked for more from life than Anna’s approval.

Taking marital vows

Having agreed to the proposal of marriage, Anna and Patrick wanted to live happily ever after. They took the marriage vows and cemented their two-year-long relationship into a concrete legal agreement. Their life was better than their wildest dreams. They were stunned by how lucky they got to have each other.

However, what was supposed to be a pleasant experience saw a huge stumbling block in its way. It was as though an evil eye was cast on their married life, and they were longing for happiness. Their hopes for having a family were trampled over with a problem that didn’t seem to have a solution.

Some months into the union

Anna and Patrick shared a unique bond with each other that stayed with them even after marriage. They both knew how to walk on eggshells around some touchy topics. Their sensitivity towards one another made the companionship look like a child’s play. After some months into their union, they found out that they couldn’t be happier.

Anna and Patrick were living marital bliss. Indeed, getting married seemed like a perfect call, given that they fit together like pieces of the puzzle. Anna had found her prince charming and was only waiting to start a family together.

Hopes for a tiny tot

Anna and Patrick started trying for a baby, knowing deeply that they wanted to start a family. On the other side, they shuddered with pain on discovering that Anna couldn’t conceive despite her continued efforts at it. Their dreams for raising children were shattered, and they lived through a nightmare with this unwanted disclosure.

They went from imagining their lives filled with joy to devastation taking over them. As a result, their plans of taking care of their children got dropped with this harsh reality. Anna saw their life falling apart before her eyes, and she had never felt this helpless in her entire life.

Alarming news

Their attempt at getting pregnant didn’t seem to come to fruition. They saw life failing them, which they could do nothing about. With both Anna and Patrick being successful in their professional life, they wanted to attain a personal blessing in the form of a child.

With such disappointment, they booked an appointment with a relevant doctor. On further investigation, the doctor revealed that Patrick didn’t have the sperms that could make a baby. His sperms were not desirable for conception. They were traumatized for life and didn’t know what to do with the problem that sought no answer. Now, Anna and Patrick wanted a way out of this complication.

Two alternatives

Before getting a medical diagnosis for their problem, they had started going for a couple’s counseling to sort out their issue. The counselor asked them to change their sexual habits to increase their odds of conceiving a baby. To their dismay, they saw no tangible benefits from following the advice.

As a result, there were only two alternatives left, one of which was for Patrick to take the fertility pills, and the other less preferable option was “artificial insemination” or adoption. After opting for the medication, no results were seen. Adoption was the least favorable means of getting a baby for them.

The only way out

The couple first consulted the doctor about the pros and cons of inseminating Anna with a sperm prepared to impregnate her. The doctor walked the couple through the process of how their chances of conceiving a baby could be raised. Anna and Patrick lamented at the thought of how difficult their journey was going to be.

Besides, they attended an adoption committee meeting where they were briefed about the process. What forced them to want to make someone else’s child their own was giving him the life he deserved. This expectation kept them thrilled, and they were now a step away from getting a child that they’d dreamt of raising.

Transformative journey

Adoption wasn’t an easy choice to make since Anna and Patrick had always wanted children of their own. They had to take the bitter pill and compromise on their desire to have a blood-related child. The saddest part was that they had to agree that any other option couldn’t be selected for the lack of preference.

Therefore, they were now looking at new life where bringing up a child still seemed possible. Adoption gave them hopes that had been killed long before. They saw themselves lucky to embrace a child who, for some reason, has been left for adoption.

A ray of hope

Patrick considered artificial insemination as intolerable and looked at adoption as a way of helping the forsaken kids to have a better future. So, Anna started calling all the people who had adopted before to understand the process better and deal with such a life-changing situation. After getting positive feedback from everyone, they chose to adopt a kid and give him the best of everything.

Soon, their nervousness around adopting a child vanished with the joyous lives they saw other parents having. Adoption shone a ray of light upon their despairing lives, and they were all set to welcome a new family member.

New beginning

Anna and Patrick had weighed their options properly and were now hell-bent on bringing a child home. Their doctor suggested foster care, where they started looking for their perfect child. Not to mention, they had already woven imaginative threads of what their baby was going to look like.

Their first visit to the foster home assured them that their lives would change for the better. Hence, the pair became delighted with the prospect of getting hold of a child who they were yet to take a look at. Although they hadn’t expected to get swayed by parenthood even before seeing the child, everything was planned out in their favor.

The process of adoption

The process itself was tedious and needed full attention to having the baby of their dreams. Older kids aren’t preferred to be brought home for adoption and usually get left out from hope for their forever homes. Anna and Patrick had always wanted an infant who could go through all stages of life before their eyes.

And so, their extensive research on the topic of adoption helped them make the process relatively easy. The two partners hadn’t seen things coming as they began unfolding the mystery of parenthood. Undoubtedly, they were going to be great parents considering their dedication.

Running into their child

Anna and Patrick were halfway through reaching the room full of orphan babies when a small boy drew their attention. He was unlike any other kid because he had a charming demeanor that made him special. Nevertheless, the couple raised an eyebrow after knowing something that took them by utter surprise.

They couldn’t shun away the thought of this little kid who was all they were thinking about. He had a connection with the parents-to-be that surpassed common sense. Moreover, this extraordinary encounter stayed in their head, and they further began investigating the matter. What they noticed was dreadful.

Billy, a lucky charm

The young boy was named Billy and was quickly introduced to Anna and Patrick, who were delighted to make him their son. Seeing their considerable adoration for the kid, the social worker gave a description of Billy’s disastrous story. They were told that Billy’s mother had been in a car accident. This is why Billy was placed under child care protection with no immediate family member ready to take his custody.
They felt terrible for the small kid and wished for him a life that could make him grow into a mature adult. Moreover, their first meeting was enough to enchant them, and they didn’t want to look any further.

Emotions welling up

Hearing Billy’s tragic story, strong emotions welled up, and Anna shed tears for the poor child. She wondered why Billy hadn’t been taken up for adoption as a baby but didn’t think much of it. The social worker asserted that the kid was extremely obedient and was in his best health.

Well, this wasn’t how they first thought their adoption process would look like. They had never thought of bringing a grown child to their abode. But now, with Billy in mind, they were rethinking their decisions. On top of that, they were impressed by his endearing personality that they wanted things changed for Billy.

Wondering why

It was difficult for them to believe that something terrible could happen to a lovely boy like Billy. Anna went on with her investigations on why Billy wasn’t adopted all these years. They made some logical guesses of how something bad must have happened for the child to make him so detested for parents.

Resultantly, Anna murdered her desire to adopt an infant and decided to build a lasting relationship with Billy. Patrick didn’t feel any different and promised to take care of Billy. With multiple questions coming to Anna’s mind, she only focused on doing what no one had done in years, “TAKE Billy HOME.” Hence, they called the foster care and asked them to proceed with Billy’s adoption.

Billy on his way home

Anna and Patrick found the adoption process to be the finest day of their lives. They were now welcoming a child to their home and were busy preparing their house to become child-friendly. The journey to adopting Billy was educational and informative. Adoption is usually very laborious and takes away all the mental energy from the parents-to-be.

However, the experience was different for this pair, for they were too excited to let the strain get the best of them. Moreover, their home was soon going to turn into a playhouse for their child, and they were delighted to have such a company in their lives.

Parenthood

Their lifelong dream of having a child was finally fulfilled when Billy came along. The newly found parenthood made them better human beings in general. They got highly fond of the kid, and Anna could barely stay away from his son after being brought home. Besides, they bonded very quickly, and Billy had already started calling Anna and Patrick, Mom and Dad.

Their joy seemed eternal with a child who could only be wished for. Anna, Patrick, and Billy made a family everyone wants to have, and their growing affection was inexplicable. Moreover, it was strange how fast Bill blended in with his new family, but he was equally grateful to have such caring parents.

Something wasn’t clicking

Billy got comfortable with his new home. However, things weren’t adding up in Anna’s head. With her witnessing this bubbly kid, she questioned what could’ve been the reason why Billy was never adopted. But, these questions didn’t affect the care with which they attended to their son.

Billy was given everything, from love to toys, to make him feel at home. Moreover, Anna and Patrick became parents by heart and didn’t regret the decision to adopt Billy. The couple tried to look closer at the matter, but their thoughts didn’t seem to be grounded to reality until one fine day.

A shock to the family

After 12 years of living happily, the parents were no more concerned for his health or any other complications. Besides, as time passed, the family started to receive phone calls from someone saying absolutely nothing.

Somehow, they knew that it had something to do with their son, Billy. This started happening after Bille turned 18. One day, he got a letter from an unknown person while he was at college, and the Matins waited for Billy to be back home before seeing what was written on it. Also, they were extremely cautious and saw the trouble approaching their family even before they received the letter.