During Brian’s 15th birthday celebration at the restaurant, a woman suddenly interrupted the party. Brian was stunned to see her — he couldn’t possibly imagine that this woman was his mother. Why? Because his father had always told him that she had died many years ago.
The Goldman family restaurant was lively with Brian’s 15th birthday party. Colorful balloons and twinkling fairy lights decorated the space. Although Brian and his father, Adam, were just a family of two, many friends and relatives came to celebrate, filling the room with warmth and laughter.
But despite the happy atmosphere, Brian felt a touch of loneliness as he watched his classmates with their mothers. His heart longed for the mother he never had.
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Adam noticed Brian’s sadness and tried to lift his spirits. “Look at them all, here for you, buddy!” he said, gesturing around.
Brian managed a weak smile but still felt out of place. “I know, Dad. It’s just… everyone has a mom here, except me.”
Adam squeezed his shoulder. “I know, son. I wish it were different,” he said softly.
As the guests sang “Happy Birthday” and Brian blew out his candles, he wished for a more complete family, like he always had. He pondered about his mother and the life they could have had.
Suddenly, Adam called for attention to make a toast. He spoke warmly of Brian, making the room laugh with stories of Brian’s childhood. Then he surprised Brian with a set of car keys, announcing that he had bought him a car.
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Just then, a disheveled woman in a hospital gown burst in. The room went silent.
“Brian, my baby, happy birthday!” she cried.
Adam was shocked as he recognized her. “Alice?” he whispered.
“Mom?” Brian said, unsure.
Adam called for security. “Get her out of here!”
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Alice held Brian tightly. “I’ve missed you so much, my son,” she cried while Brian stood frozen, unable to process the situation.
Adam intervened, trying to separate them. “She’s not well, she needs to go back,” he said, his voice mixed with anger and worry.
“Adam, let me see Brian!” Alice shouted. Then, she turned to the crowd, desperate for support. “I’m not crazy! This is a mistake! Trust me!” she begged, but all her pleas fell on deaf ears.
Two police officers quickly came in and cuffed her. “Ma’am, you need to come with us,” one officer said, taking her arm.
Alice resisted, her eyes locked with Brian’s. “They lied to you, Brian! I was locked away, but I never forgot you or stopped loving you!”
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The officers led Alice away while she kept shouting. Adam sighed and apologized to the guests. “Sorry for the interruption. Let’s enjoy the evening.”
Brian was shocked after watching his mother being taken away. His friends tried to cheer him up by talking about his new car, but he couldn’t focus.
Suddenly, Brian ran outside to the police car. “Mom!” he yelled. Alice looked at him, her eyes filled with pain and hope.
“Brian, your father is evil! He is to blame for the fact that I was in a mental hospital all these years! He has your sister—he is holding her prisoner in an old house outside the city! You have to save us, Brian!” Alice whispered urgently as the officers led her to the car.
“Don’t trust the police, they’re on your father’s side!” she added.
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The police car drove away with Alice, leaving Brian stunned. “I have a sister?” he thought.
Back inside, Brian confronted his father. “Dad, we need to talk. Alone,” he said.
In Adam’s office, Brian was fuming. “Was that really Mom? And yes, you better not lie! You said she was dead!”
Adam ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Yes, it was her. I lied because I thought it was best.”
“How could you?” Brian yelled. “I hate you for this!”
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“Your mother has mental health issues, and… she was using substances. I wanted to protect you, Brian. It’s not like I was happy with what I did.”
Brian didn’t believe him.
At that moment, the door opened slightly, and a young waitress peeked in.
“Mr. Goldman, I’m so sorry to interrupt,” she said hesitantly, noticing the tension in the room. “There’s a famous critic here tonight. He’s incognito, likely for a secret inspection. He’s seated at table nine.”
“Make sure everything is perfect for him,” Adam instructed the waitress.
“We’ll talk later,” Adam told Brian, returning to his work.
Brian glared at his father, then stormed out, slamming the office door so hard a picture shook on the wall. He locked himself in the bathroom, sobbing.
But Brian knew he couldn’t just sit and cry. He had to save his mom and his sister before it was too late. Determined, Brian wiped his tears. “I’m coming, Mom,” he whispered to himself.
Brian went to the kitchen, where a chef was preparing a fancy dish. Brian pretended to be curious. “What are you making? It smells amazing!”
The chef, proud, explained he was making seared foie gras with balsamic reduction. As the chef fetched something, Brian added a laxative to the dish and stirred it in secretly.
“Always use fresh herbs,” the chef advised, turning back.
“Thanks, I’ll remember that!” Brian said, then left quickly.
Then, he drove his new car toward the mental hospital where his mother supposedly was.
At the hospital, Brian saw a group of medical students. “I’m with them. Sorry, I’m late,” he told the receptionist and grabbed a visitor’s gown and a ward access card while she was distracted.
Disguised, Brian searched the wards for his mother. Finally, he found her. “Mom,” he whispered.
“Brian? Is it really you?” she asked, her voice weak.
“Yes, it’s me. I came as soon as I found out you were here,” Brian replied, holding her hand, trying his best to hold back his tears.
Alice’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke to Brian. “I’m so sorry, Brian. Your father, he—” she stopped, looking around nervously.
“He’s done a lot, Mom. Now I know about my sister, too,” Brian said quietly.
Alice nodded. “Yes, your sister. I tried to help her escape, but your father found out and had me locked up here to keep me quiet.”
“We’ll get you out and find my sister,” Brian promised, squeezing her hand.
“How? The staff here…” Alice began.
“They won’t stop us. I’ve got a key card,” Brian interrupted, showing her the card.
Brian quickly left and went to the doctors’ lounge. He found a doctor’s gown and mask and took them back to Alice. “Put these on. It’ll help us leave without anyone noticing,” he whispered urgently.
Alice dressed quickly, though her hands shook. “Will this work?” she asked.
“It has to,” Brian replied, helping her adjust the mask.
They walked quietly through the hospital. At a service exit, Brian felt hopeful. They stepped out into the night and hurried to his car. But a security guard saw them and shouted.
“Hurry, get in!” Brian yelled. They jumped into the car just as the guard ran up. Brian drove off fast, with the guard chasing them in a security vehicle.
“Will…will we be able to lose him?” Alice asked in fear.
“We will,” Brian assured her, driving quickly onto the main road.
They lost the security vehicle after a tense chase through the city. Pulling over, Brian said, “We have to run now.” They left the car and ran into the city, catching a taxi.
“Head towards the old Milltown road,” Alice told the taxi driver.
They drove until the surroundings turned into dense woods. Alice told the driver to stop at an overgrown driveway. “This is it,” she said softly.
Brian paid the taxi driver, and they stepped out into the cold forest. An old, rundown house stood in front of them, its paint peeling and windows boarded up.
“Is this really the place?” Brian asked, looking around.
“Yes, this is where he kept her… where he might still keep her,” Alice replied, staring at the house.
They walked up to the house. The door wasn’t locked, so they pushed it open and entered. The inside of the old structure was dusty and filled with old furniture and cobwebs.
“Hello?” Brian called out, but only silence answered back.
They walked through the house, checking each room. Everything was covered in dust, as if the place had been abandoned long ago. Alice touched the staircase’s banister and whispered, “She was here… I can feel it.”
They went upstairs and then decided to check the basement. It was cold and damp down there.
A locked door stood at the end of the room. Brian found a crowbar and used it to break the lock. As they opened the door, they heard police sirens.
“They’re coming,” Brian whispered.
Ignoring him, Alice rushed into the room and opened a large doll box. She pulled out a doll and held it close, saying, “Daughter, we saved you!”
Brian realized then that his mother was delusional, believing the doll was her daughter.
As police entered the house, they took Alice away. “Come on, ma’am. We gotta go. We’re taking you to get help.”
Then, a cop informed Brian that Adam had been detained because someone was poisoned at his restaurant — a result of Brian tampering with the food to get Alice’s revenge.
Brian collapsed to the floor and buried his face in his palms, overwhelmed. What happened next? Well, the restaurant was closed, and his father faced legal issues and financial ruin.
Brian watched everything fall apart, feeling guilty. He had tried to hurt his father, but it ended up harming many others.
And Brian couldn’t do much to make things right. Yes, he promised himself to try and fix things, but he knew some things couldn’t be undone. And that’s why we shouldn’t jump to conclusions or make rash decisions.