00:00My name is Emma. I am a woman now, but I want to tell you my story. It is not a happy story. It is not a normal story, but it is my story.
00:18I was not born to my parents. I was adopted. I did not know this when I was a child. I found out the truth when I was 14 years old, and it changed my life.
00:34My parents could not have children. They were married for many years, but they had no baby. They waited, they hoped, and they prayed. But the baby never came. They were very sad.
00:54They wanted a child to love. They wanted a daughter or a son. They wanted someone to call their own. They thought and thought. Then, they decided to adopt a baby.
01:12There was a woman in our family. She was my father's cousin. She had many children. She had seven children already. Then, she became pregnant again.
01:28She did not want another baby. She said, I cannot take care of one more child. My parents heard this. They went to her and said, Please give us the baby when it is born. We will raise the child with love.
01:48The woman said yes. She agreed to give her baby to them after birth. I was born on a cold night. My real mother did not give me a name. She did not hold me. She gave me to my adoptive parents right after birth. They were waiting for me. My new mother held me in her arms.
02:16My new father smiled. They called me Emma. They took me home. They gave me love. They gave me everything. I grew up in a warm home. I had toys. I had books. I had good food. I had pretty clothes. I had a soft bed.
02:43My mother sang songs for me. My father read me stories. We played games. We laughed. We went to the park. We went on trips. We lived a happy life.
03:00My parents loved me. My parents loved me. They never shouted. They never hit me. They were always kind. They taught me good things. They helped me when I was sick. They helped me with my homework. They gave me hugs and kisses every day.
03:23I felt safe. I felt safe. I felt happy. I felt lucky. I thought they were my real parents.
03:34I never asked questions. I never wondered about anything. I thought all children lived like me.
03:44I loved my mother. I loved my father. I loved our house. I loved my life. But then, one day, everything changed.
04:00When I was 14 years old, I heard something by accident. I was in the kitchen. My aunt came to visit. She was talking to another woman.
04:16They did not know I was listening. My aunt said,
04:21You know, Emma is not their real daughter. She is adopted.
04:26The other woman said,
04:29Oh, really? I didn't know.
04:33My heart stopped. I could not believe what I heard.
04:38I felt confused. I felt scared.
04:42I ran to my room.
04:45I closed the door.
04:48I cried and cried.
04:52I could not sleep that night.
04:55In the morning, I looked at my mother.
05:00I asked her,
05:02Is it true?
05:05She looked at me.
05:07She said,
05:09Yes, my love.
05:11It is true.
05:13But we love you so much.
05:15I shouted,
05:17You lied to me.
05:19You are not my real parents.
05:22Why did you take me?
05:23I want to go to my real parents.
05:27My parents were silent.
05:30They cried.
05:33But they did not say anything bad.
05:36They only looked at me with sad eyes.
05:41I told them,
05:42Give me money.
05:43I want to go.
05:44They gave me money.
05:48They packed some food for me.
05:51My mother put my clothes in a small bag.
05:55My father gave me a little extra money.
05:59I did not say thank you.
06:02I was angry.
06:03I left the house.
06:05I left the home where I had lived all my life.
06:10I found out where my birth parents lived.
06:14I went to their house.
06:15I knocked on the door.
06:19A woman opened the door.
06:22It was my birth mother.
06:25She looked at me.
06:27She was quiet.
06:30Then a man came.
06:32It was my birth father.
06:35He said,
06:36Oh, Emma?
06:38My oldest brother came to the door.
06:42He said,
06:43Why are you here?
06:46We don't have space.
06:48We are already too many people in this house.
06:52My real father looked at me.
06:55He looked nervous.
06:57He said,
06:59Emma,
07:00I am sorry.
07:02Life is hard here.
07:04We are poor.
07:06We don't have space.
07:08We don't have food for many people.
07:11I live here,
07:13but it is not easy.
07:15My wife.
07:17She is not kind.
07:19She is angry every day.
07:22I cannot help you.
07:25I stood there.
07:27I said nothing.
07:29My eyes were full of tears.
07:32I felt cold.
07:34I felt empty.
07:36I wanted to scream.
07:38But no sound came out.
07:41My real mother did not hug me.
07:45She did not ask me to come in.
07:48No one asked if I was hungry or tired.
07:51I felt like a stranger.
07:54I felt like a stranger.
07:54I was not welcome.
07:57My oldest brother said,
08:00You should go back.
08:02This is not your home.
08:05You left your family.
08:07Why did you come here?
08:09His words were hard.
08:12They hurt my heart.
08:13I said nothing.
08:16I picked up my bag.
08:18I walked away.
08:21I did not know what to do.
08:24I did not know where to go.
08:27I sat by the river.
08:30The water was dark.
08:32The sky was gray.
08:34I was cold and hungry.
08:36I had no place to sleep.
08:40I felt like I wanted to jump into the water.
08:44I thought,
08:45Maybe it is better if I disappear.
08:49Nobody wants me.
08:52Nobody loves me now.
08:53But something in my heart said,
08:57No.
08:59Don't do it.
09:01I took out my phone.
09:04My hands were shaking.
09:06I sent a message to my adoptive parents.
09:10I wrote,
09:11Please send me money.
09:13I want to come home.
09:16If you don't help me,
09:17I will jump into the river.
09:20I waited.
09:21My phone was silent.
09:25Ten minutes passed.
09:27Then twenty.
09:29Then I saw a message.
09:32My mother wrote,
09:34We will send the money now.
09:36Please wait.
09:38Please don't do anything bad.
09:40Come back home.
09:42I cried and cried.
09:45I felt a little hope.
09:48I waited two more hours.
09:50Then I went to the bus station.
09:54I got the money.
09:56I bought a ticket.
09:58I came back home.
10:00I didn't say anything when I entered the house.
10:05My parents didn't ask anything.
10:08My mother hugged me.
10:10My father held my bag.
10:13We didn't speak.
10:14We only cried.
10:15They cooked food for me.
10:20They gave me warm clothes.
10:23They made my bed.
10:25I was quiet.
10:27I felt strange.
10:30I didn't know what to say.
10:33I didn't know how to look into their eyes.
10:35I felt shame.
10:38I felt pain.
10:40But I also felt safe.
10:43I was home.
10:45That night, I didn't sleep much.
10:49I looked at the ceiling.
10:51I thought about my life.
10:52I thought about my parents.
10:56My real parents, who didn't want me.
11:00And the parents who raised me with love.
11:04I thought about the food my mother cooked.
11:08I thought about the bedtime stories my father told me.
11:12I remembered the soft blanket.
11:16The goodnight kiss.
11:18The warm smile.
11:21In the morning, my mother came into my room.
11:25She had tea in her hands.
11:28She put it near my bed.
11:31She smiled a little.
11:34She didn't say anything.
11:36She just sat with me.
11:39Her hands were warm.
11:41I looked at her and whispered.
11:45I'm sorry.
11:47She touched my hair.
11:49You are our daughter, she said.
11:53Forever.
11:54I started to cry.
11:57I cried like a little girl.
11:59My mother held me.
12:02I said,
12:03Why didn't you tell me the truth?
12:06She said,
12:08We wanted to tell you when you were older.
12:11We were afraid.
12:14We didn't want to lose you.
12:16We didn't want to hurt you.
12:19I nodded.
12:21I understood.
12:23They were not perfect.
12:25But they loved me.
12:27And that love was real.
12:30More real than blood.
12:33More real than anything else.
12:35They gave me a life.
12:38They gave me their hearts.
12:40And I broke them.
12:43But they still welcomed me back.
12:46My father came home from work.
12:49He brought flowers.
12:52He gave them to me.
12:53He smiled and said,
12:57Welcome home, princess.
13:00That word, princess,
13:04made me cry again.
13:06I remembered all the times he called me that.
13:11I remembered all the birthdays,
13:14the hugs,
13:16the help with homework,
13:17the games,
13:19the walks.
13:19I knew I was lucky.
13:23I was not their real daughter by blood.
13:27But I was their daughter in every other way.
13:30I decided never to leave them again.
13:33Days passed.
13:36I helped my mother in the kitchen.
13:39I cleaned the house.
13:42I went to school.
13:44I started to smile again.
13:47My friends didn't know what happened.
13:51I didn't tell them.
13:53This story was mine.
13:56This pain was mine.
14:00And also,
14:02this love
14:02It was mine.
14:05One day,
14:07I looked at my mother and said,
14:10Can I call you mom again?
14:13Her eyes were full of tears.
14:16She said,
14:17You never stopped calling me mom.
14:20Even when you were gone,
14:22you were still my daughter.
14:25After that day,
14:27everything slowly became normal.
14:30We didn't speak about the past.
14:34We didn't talk about the river.
14:37Or the cold house.
14:39Or the angry brother.
14:42We only looked forward.
14:45We made new memories.
14:47We cooked together.
14:49We laughed.
14:50We went shopping.
14:54My father fixed my bike.
14:57My mother baked my favorite cake.
14:59Life became soft again.
15:02But something inside me had changed.
15:06I was not a child anymore.
15:10I had seen too much.
15:12I had felt pain.
15:14I had learned that love is not always about who gives you life.
15:20It is about who gives you a home.
15:23Who stands with you.
15:26Who never lets you fall.
15:29Many years have passed now.
15:32I am a woman.
15:33I work.
15:35I smile.
15:37I love my parents very much.
15:40They are older now.
15:42My father has gray hair.
15:44My mother walks slowly.
15:48But I take care of them.
15:50I cook for them.
15:52I drive them to the doctor.
15:55I sit with them and hold their hands.
15:59I don't think about my birth family anymore.
16:03I don't hate them.
16:05I don't love them either.
16:07They were a part of my story.
16:10But they were only a chapter.
16:12My real life is with the people who raised me.
16:18My real family is here.
16:21I now understand something very important.
16:25Blood does not make a parent.
16:28Love does.
16:30Time does.
16:31Care does.
16:33My parents chose me.
16:36They didn't have to.
16:38But they did.
16:39And that choice is the greatest kind of love.
16:45When I look in the mirror, I see a strong woman.
16:50I see a girl who was lost and found again.
16:53I see a heart that was broken, but healed.
16:57And most of all, I see a daughter who was truly loved.
17:04Now, I'm 25 years old.
17:08I still remember everything.
17:11It still hurts sometimes.
17:14But I'm grateful.
17:15I have a family that chose me, loved me, and forgave me.
17:21This is my story.
17:25Thank you for listening.
17:28If this story touched your heart, please subscribe for more stories like this.
17:36I'll be here, waiting to share the next one with you.
17:39If you enjoy the story, please like, subscribe, and share.
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