My son suddenly turned pale. He looked at me and said, “Sweet? Mom, that’s not what happened. That woman was actually the one who took me. She and a man carried me to the parking lot and kept me in their car for a while. I remember them arguing.” He continued, “She came back to distract you, but it was her boyfriend who changed his mind and let me go.”

I was completely shocked. My son had kept the truth hidden from me all these years, trying to protect me from more pain. In that moment, my entire understanding of that day — and that woman — was shattered.

Story 2

When I was around 16, I secretly bought a thong without my parents knowing. I wanted to feel mature and confident, but I was also nervous. Wearing it felt awkward, and throwing it away seemed like a waste, so I hid it in the back of my dresser.

One day, my mom found it. She was furious and gave me a harsh scolding. But then my brother walked in and unexpectedly defended me. He explained that the thong actually belonged to his girlfriend, who had visited while our parents were away and had accidentally left it behind. Not wanting to be obvious, he hid it in my room, never thinking it would cause such a headache for me.

Of course, my parents were shocked and insisted on meeting their “future daughter-in-law.” In the end, they completely forgot about my supposed wrongdoing.

Fast forward — my brother and that girl got married about eight years ago. To this day, my parents still joke about how surprised they were that such a seemingly decent girl would wear something like that. As for me, I now regularly babysit their son so they can have some time to themselves — a little favor for a little favor!