Amelia had always known she was different, but nothing could have prepared her for the shocking truth. A truth she uncovered on a Hollywood set, surrounded by the very people who had left her as a baby.
The night I was abandoned, a chill hung in the air like a ghost. That’s how Jack always described it. He’d been working the late shift at the fire station, the silence of the empty streets broken only by the distant wail of a siren, when he first heard the soft cries.
A newborn baby in a bassinet | Source: Midjourney
A baby, no more than a few weeks old, bundled in a blanket, left on the doorstep of a place meant for saving lives, not beginning them.
“I almost missed you, Amelia,” Jack would say with a wistful smile.
“You were so quiet, just a tiny little thing with the biggest, brightest eyes.”
Those eyes, he always claimed, were what drew him in. Eyes full of questions that only time could answer. Jack and Susan, unable to have children of their own, took me in without a second thought. They didn’t care about where I came from or why I had been left behind.
A fireman rescuing a baby | Source: Midjourney
All they saw was a baby who needed love, and they had plenty to give. My childhood was filled with warm memories: Susan’s homemade cookies, Jack’s stories of firehouse bravery, and the endless laughter that filled our modest home. But there was one story Jack told me over and over, one that carried a weight about the night I was abandoned.
“It was a man, Amelia. He had a scar right here,” Jack would say, tracing a line across his own hand.
“And a limp, like he’d been through something rough.”
A person’s hand with a scar | Source: Midjourney
“Did he say anything?” I asked, every time, even though I knew the answer.
“No,” Jack would reply, his voice tinged with the same sadness I felt.
“He just looked at me, like he was torn between staying and leaving.”
That image stayed with me, haunting my thoughts like a ghost from the past. Who was that man? And why had he left me? Jack never had the answers, but he shared the story in the hopes that one day, I might find them myself. I never really thought much about the story Jack told me, until one fateful day.
An elderly man and a young woman having a conversation | Source: Midjourney
It was just another lazy Saturday when I turned on the TV and found myself watching a behind-the-scenes interview with Hollywood’s golden couple, Richard and Caroline. As I watched, something caught my eye. The camera zoomed in on Richard, and there it was, the scar on his hand, exactly where Jack had described it.
I gasped, sitting up straighter. “No way,” I whispered, my eyes glued to the screen. But it wasn’t just the scar. When Richard moved to the other side of the set, I saw it, the limp. My heart started pounding in my chest.
A woman watching TV | Source: Midjourney
“Is it really them?” I asked myself, disbelief washing over me. “Could Richard and Caroline be my parents?”
I knew I couldn’t just leave it at that. I needed proof, and I needed it fast. But how? I couldn’t just walk up to them and demand answers. I had to be clever.
“That’s it,” I muttered to myself, pacing the room. “I’ll get close to them.”
I’d always been good with makeup. Maybe, just maybe, I could use that to my advantage. Without hesitating, I applied for a job as a makeup artist on their latest movie. It was a long shot, but I had to try. A week later, I got the call.
“Congratulations, Amelia. You got the job.”
A young woman smiling while holding her phone | Source: Midjourney
I could hardly believe it. When I walked onto the set for the first time, my nerves were on edge. There they were; Richard and Caroline, right in front of me. It felt surreal.
“Amelia, right?” Caroline asked, smiling at me. She was even more stunning in person.
I nodded, trying to keep my voice steady. “Yes, that’s me. It’s an honor to be working with you both.”
Richard smiled warmly. “We’re happy to have you on board.” I forced a smile, but inside, my thoughts were racing. I needed to find a way to get a DNA sample from Richard, but it had to be subtle. Day after day, I watched them.
I saw the way Richar’s eyes softened when he looked at Caroline, the way they laughed together. They seemed so normal, so… loving. But I couldn’t forget what I had seen; the scar, the limp. I needed answers. One day, as I was adjusting Richard’s makeup, I saw my chance. He was sitting in the chair, relaxed, chatting with the director.
“So, Richard,” I said casually, trying to keep my voice steady, “How did you get that scar, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Richard glanced down at his hand, his expression clouding for a moment. “Ah, this old thing. It’s from an accident a long time ago. Don’t even remember how it happened, really.”
My heart skipped a beat. Was he lying? Or had he truly forgotten? I had to know more. As I reached for the comb, my hand brushed against his hair. A few strands came loose. My heart raced as I discreetly collected them, tucking them away in my kit.
“There,” I said, stepping back. “All done.”
Richard smiled. “Thanks, Amelia. You’re a lifesaver.”
I nodded, but my mind was elsewhere. I sent the hair off for DNA testing as soon as I could, and then the waiting began. It felt like an eternity before the results finally came in. When I opened the email, my breath caught in my throat.
The results were clear: Richard and Caroline were my biological parents. I stared at the screen, my heart pounding. “It’s true,” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. “It’s really them.”
Working on set with Richard and Caroline felt like stepping into another world. A world that wasn’t as glamorous as it appeared on screen. The more time I spent around them, the more I saw behind their polished faces.
“Amelia, I need my makeup retouched. Now,” Caroline snapped one morning, barely glancing in my direction as she scrolled through her phone.
“Of course,” I replied, keeping my voice steady.
It wasn’t just the way she spoke to me; it was the way she treated everyone. Assistants, crew members, and even the director. She was demanding and dismissive as if everyone was beneath her. Richard wasn’t much better. He would crack jokes at the expense of others, laughing as though everyone was there for his amusement.
I watched, disheartened, as they treated their own children with the same cold detachment. The kids were paraded around for photo ops but were otherwise ignored, their attempts at gaining their parents’ attention met with indifference.
One day, I saw Caroline reduce a young assistant to tears over a minor mistake.
“How hard is it to get my coffee order right?” Caroline hissed, her eyes blazing.
The girl stammered an apology, but Caroline waved her off with a scoff. That was it. My anger boiled over. These were the people who had abandoned me, and now they were inflicting the same emotional cruelty on others. I couldn’t stand by and let them continue being mean to others.
A few days later, at the press conference for their latest film, I saw my chance. The room buzzed with excitement, reporters, cameras, and fans all eager to hang on Richard and Caroline’s every word. They were basking in the attention, flashing their perfect smiles, playing the roles of beloved stars.
As the event began to wind down, I stood up, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Excuse me,” I called out, my voice steady as I held the microphone.
The room fell silent, all eyes turning toward me. Richard and Caroline looked at me, confusion flickering across their faces.
“Richard, Caroline, I have a question for you,” I said calmly, though my voice carried a quiet intensity.
They turned toward me, their expressions shifting from curious to slightly annoyed at the interruption. Richard’s smile was polished and practiced.
“Go ahead, darling.” I locked eyes with them, my gaze steady.
“How does it feel to have abandoned your baby at a fire station all those years ago?”
The room plunged into silence. Richard and Caroline’s smiles froze, and I saw the color drain from their faces. Caroline’s hand trembled slightly as she reached for Richard’s arm.
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Caroline stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Oh, I think you do,” I said, my voice unwavering.
“That baby was me. I’ve spent my entire life wondering why my own parents would leave me behind. And now I understand; it was because your careers and your image mattered more than your own child.”
Cameras flashed wildly, reporters scribbling notes with feverish intensity. Richard’s face turned red, but he forced himself to stay composed.
“This is absurd,” he snapped. “You have no proof of these accusations!”
I held up the DNA test results, my hand steady. “Oh, but I do. DNA doesn’t lie, Richard. I’m your daughter, the one you abandoned. And now the world knows who you really are.”
The room exploded into chaos. Reporters shouted questions, cameras zooming in on Richard and Caroline’s shocked faces. They looked as if they might flee, but it was too late. The damage was done; their perfect image had been shattered.
As I turned to leave, I spoke softly, but loud enough for them to hear. “You’ve spent your lives pretending to be people you’re not. Maybe it’s time you faced the truth.”
I walked out of the press conference, the noise fading behind me. A weight lifted off my shoulders, a sense of peace settling over me. The pain of my past had been confronted, and I had taken back my power. Richard and Caroline could never hurt me again—or anyone else. For the first time in my life, I felt truly free.