Claire’s and David’s home situation was very normal until Claire gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Ever since that moment, strange things have started happening. Little Rosy kept touching her belly, and it just kept growing. Claire immediately called the doctor, and they had to get to the hospital. The doctor knew he had seen this before. He had to break the news to Claire. The doctor told Claire and David that they had to come to the hospital. Without hesitation, they rushed to the hospital. This could be very serious. The doctor had a feeling of what was going on, but he had to confirm his suspicions. Dave grabbed their little angel and rushed to the car. Claire was in complete panic. What on earth was happening to their little baby? All the previous tests did not indicate any health issues. However, every day little Rosy kept touching her belly, and it was visible that the belly was growing larger over time. This could be a serious situation. When finally arriving at the hospital the couple was set down by the doctor’s assistant. She told them that the doctor would come as quickly as he could. David was growing even more worried. He had no time to wait. He demanded to see the doctor. Claire tried to calm David down, but he was convinced that he had the right to demand the doctor to come. He walked right past the assistant inside the doctor’s office. The doctor was still treating another patient and looked really confused. He told David to calm down, but David wasn’t having it. When the other patient heard what was going on, she told the doctor that he should quickly help them out. She was not in any danger. She could see from David’s reaction that it was urgent. The doctor quickly stood up and ran to little Rosy. He felt like he had underestimated the situation. And when he saw Rosy, he turned pale. He quickly had to run some tests, he thought that she was healthier, but this could get very tricky. The doctor called Claire and David inside his office. He asked some basic questions about their lives. He needed to determine what was going on. Then Claire told him about her life and lifestyle, and the doctor’s attitude completely changed. ”What have you done?” It was like the doctor blamed Claire for everything. She had no idea what was going on or what she had done wrong. The only thing she could think of was the safety of her child. She did not realize what she had actually done to the baby. The doctor quickly rushed out of the room with their baby. When carrying the crying newborn baby to the test department, the doctor could not help but think. “How did this poor woman get herself into this situation? A lifestyle like this brings so many risks with it. How could this be worth it?” At the moment that he took the baby away from her parents, she kept crying. It was like the baby was in pain. The doctor had called for backup, he kept on trusting in his own ability to help this child, but he definitely needed help When putting the baby down, it finally stops crying a bit, and the doctors get a chance to inspect him a bit closer. But it isn’t until the doctor takes a closer look at the belly that everything changes. He immediately knows what he is looking at and freezes in his tracks. His breath sticks as he mumbles to himself “This can’t be true…”. Leaving the baby in the care of a nurse, he rushes back to tell the waiting parents. They have to know immediately… How could Claire have been so Reckless… The doctor asked Claire if she had noticed anything during the pregnancy, and this is when Claire started crying. She thought there was something seriously wrong with the baby, and that it was her fault. That is when she started explaining. Claire had stumbled out of bed on Tuesday morning. Her head hurt, and her stomach felt even worse. She could feel the pressure build in her throat as she ran to the bathroom to throw up. Claire hated the feeling, but it was familiar to her. She got like that when she was hungover. However, ironically, she had not been drinking the night before. Claire spent another fifteen minutes in the bathroom until she eventually felt fine enough to head downstairs for breakfast. Claire was immediately greeted by her mother commenting on how pale she looked. Claire sighed and relayed her symptoms to her mom who listened intently. Claire watched as her mother turned white as she listed the symptoms. “What’s wrong?” Claire urged. She felt self-conscious now. Her mom was a registered nurse and had been in the profession for more than two decades. Her reaction to Claire’s symptoms caused the young woman to worry. Finally, her mom spoke up. She asked Claire to get a pregnancy test done. Claire was nervous and peed on the tests as her mother instructed. The results were frightening. Claire’s mom was right. She was pregnant! Claire sat opposite her parents who stared at her in silence. They were both waiting for her to answer the question they had placed. Who was the father? The problem, Claire wasn’t so sure… Claire sighed, she explained that if her math was correct there were two possible fathers. But she wasn’t certain she wanted to tell them about the possibility of a baby. It all seemed far too much for her to cope with. She couldn’t stand to think of what their reactions would be. Claire was in a state of panic, it had been a few days since she had discovered she was pregnant. Although her parents had been trying to discuss it with her, she couldn’t help but feel wary. She found herself debating getting an abortion, she knew she wasn’t ready for kids or to change her lifestyle. What would she do? After a few days of avoiding them, Claire decided it was time to face her parents. She told them that she was planning to get an abortion. However, her parents were against this. They convinced her to keep the baby as they would do everything to help her raise it… Although she had agreed to not abort the baby. Settling into being pregnant was proving far more difficult than she could imagine. For one, it was the opposite of her current lifestyle. Part of being pregnant is giving up certain things which can be bad for the baby. Things like drinking, and hard partying… Things that Claire enjoys so much. Those habits were a bit more addictive than Claire had realized. So addictive that she found herself sneaking out late to indulge in them. Claire was still in the early stage of her pregnancy and wasn’t showing yet. This made it easy for her to get into clubs without judgment, however, the moment of truth was coming… Claire continued on with her secret habits for a few more weeks. But finally, the moment of truth had arrived. It was time for her first check-up with the doctor. The check-up was going well as the doctor asked Claire a few questions to assess the health of the baby, that was when Claire found herself blurting out the truth. Claire confessed everything to her doctor. She admitted that although she was trying to stay healthy for the baby, she felt almost compelled to go out and party at night. Claire and the doctor have a long and serious talk about the risk and potential consequences for the baby, and by the end of it, it finally seems to click for Claire. The knowledge of what her actions could mean for the baby hit Claire in the heart. She understood that she would have to make some drastic changes to ensure that her baby was born happy and healthy. She was seven weeks in and hoped she had not caused irreversible damage. Claire knew that along with this new leaf, she would have to come clean to those the pregnancy most closely affected. The prospective fathers-Todd and David. Claire made the decision to inform both men of the pregnancy and the situation surrounding it. Their reactions came as a shock to Claire who had expected the opposite… Both men are incredibly supportive of Claire’s decision. They let her know that they will be there for the baby if it is theirs and pledge to help her during her pregnancy. This motivates Claire to do even more for the baby as she turned a new leaf. From then on the pregnancy went relatively smooth. Claire spent the rest of her pregnancy doing her best to stay healthy. One afternoon, Claire is laying on the couch watching a series, when she suddenly feels a stinging pain in her stomach, she moans loudly in pain. Her mother rushes in and immediately knows what’s happening; Claire’s water broke. Claire’s mom held her as they both made their way to the car, she supported her daughter into the back seat and quickly started the drive to the hospital. On the way, Claire decided to call the prospective fathers of the baby. Both men insisted that they be a part of the moment. Does Claire agree? Claire gave her approval. Truthfully, she was in pain, as each contraction passed through her in a painful wave she found her thoughts were clouded by other concerns. Will the baby be healthy? Who will be the father? Will she be able to be a good mother? All questions will be answered very soon… All the worries in her mind seemed to vanish as the contractions grew closer and the pain seemed to almost double in intensity. Claire gained a sudden realization, it was time to focus on the baby. She would do everything in her power to make sure the delivery was safe for the baby. Just as Claire began to focus on delivery, the door to the delivery room opened up. It was Todd, the first prospective father to arrive; he looked like he had stepped out of a construction catalog. A building contractor, he had been working on-site when he got the call. The next time the door opened it was the doctor who had arrived to prep Clair for the delivery. A few minutes later, David, the second prospective father showed up. Like Todd, David was a tall, muscular, and handsome man but he was dressed more casually as he had come from home. However, this time the room fell silent on his arrival. The room stayed silent for a second, no one seemed to know what to say. When the silence finally broke, it came from an unexpected person. The doctor spoke in surprise, “What are you doing here David?” The sound of a familiar voice caused David to look up, he could not believe his eyes. The doctor and David stared at each other for a moment before awkwardly explaining the situation. As it turned out the head Doctor was David’s uncle. David was aware his uncle worked at the hospital but had been too shocked by the news to consider the possibility that they would run into each other.  While the news of David’s relationship with the doctor was surprising to everyone in the room. The hospital staff hit a confusing block when they were screening the guests that would be permitted in the room. Claire had been so hyper focused on getting her life ready she hadn’t had the chance to explain the situation to the staff.  The doctor and the nurses waited in confusion for an explanation. Finally, red in the face David explained the situation concerning the baby’s paternity to the doctor. The doctor nodded and listened silently, it was clear he was disappointed in David, but he said nothing. He had other priorities, the baby was on the way! Claire was beside herself with the pain. She was in so much pain that she could not be bothered with feeling embarrassed about the situation. She breathed in heavily as she waited for the hospital staff to give her a sign that the ordeal was close to over. Claire wasn’t certain how much longer she could hold up.  Luckily, the birthing only took about thirty minutes and soon the first cries of the baby could be heard. It was a beautiful baby girl and Claire could finally breathe a sigh of relief as she watched her daughter smile in her arms. However, this didn’t last long as real worries began to set in… The truth was, Claire had become even more worried than she had been initially. Having a daughter was hard work and she wasn’t certain she was cut out for it. Even as old doubts settled in, the doctors took the baby to run some tests to ensure the baby was entirely healthy. It would be a while before the doctor returned as some of the tests were extensive. While they waited, Claire, Todd, and David got to talking. After beating around the subject for a while, they finally started speculating on the child’s paternity. Both men had come up with their own theories as to who the father was. Claire listened to David and Todd argue for a few minutes. It was clear that both of them were excited about the birth of the baby and even more so, wanted the baby to be theirs. For the second time in months, both men had surprised her Claire wasn’t expecting this reaction… Although both men had expressed that they wanted to be in the baby’s life, it was now more clear that they both seemed genuinely happy about the news. However, Claire knew that wanting to be a good father and being able to be one were two different things. And truthfully, though she wouldn’t say it, she had a preference… Claire’s mind had faded deep into her thoughts when the door finally swung open once more. Her mother stood up from her position on the couch, and both prospective fathers stopped arguing and started paying attention. The doctor smiled, he had some good news to share with everyone, the baby was in perfect health. Or was it.. Claire was elated! She brought the baby home with her to wait on the DNA test that was being done. David accompanied her home, that is when it started happening. Every day the belly of the child started growing, she kept touching her belly like something was wrong. They had to get to the hospital… The baby was placed into the nearby crib to rest.The doctor was afraid that Claire’s lifestyle had indeed affected the baby. When inspecting the belly he noticed something, the newborn revealed something that had the doctor reacting quickly!  The doctor was shocked and a little embarrassed. He had not noticed this before. He had solved two mysteries in the span of just a couple seconds, he realised who the father is, and he knew why the belly kept growing… Right there on her belly was a large birthmark. While the presence of a birthmark may not be alarming and is certainly not a sign of a birth defect. In fact, almost all babies had a few birthmarks across their skin. But the doctor was sure he had seen this particular one before… It was a birthmark he had seen many years before on a similar-faced brown-haired baby. David had almost the exact same birthmark in the exact same spot! And with birthmarks having a chance to be hereditary, it looked like David was the father! However, the doctor stayed silent, it was just a hunch and he preferred to wait for the results. Days went by, and life seemed to take on a new normal for the new parents. Claire checked out of the hospital and took a break from work. While the family readied the house for the new baby. The DNA results were out, but the results were not a surprise to anyone… David was the father! In the coming days, both Claire and David had already realized the baby was his. He had equally spotted the birthmark on the baby, and the conception dates were better aligned with him. The doctor told them as well that the belly kept growing because the baby was allergic to the milk they gave her. Which Claire immediately changed. Both David and Claire were happy to receive the news. Not only had their suspicions been confirmed but they were finding life as parents suited them far better than they would have ever imagined. A few months after the birth of the baby David and Claire started dating and still care for their little girl, Rosy. Rosy responded very well to the new milk. End Good, All Good Woman Wears Her Mother’s Old Ring For 25 Years, When Jeweller Sees It He Tells Her This For twenty-five years, Lydia wore the ring on her finger, feeling a deep connection to her mother every time she looked at it. The ring became a symbol of love and a tangible reminder of the bond they shared. One day, Lydia decided to take her beloved ring to the local jeweler, Mr. Reynolds, for a small reparation. Mr. Reynolds, with a careful eye, examined the ring, turning it over and inspecting it under a magnifying glass. As he did, a perplexed expression crossed his face, his brow furrowing in confusion….. He looked up at Lydia and said, “I’m sorry, but this ring shouldn’t be in your possession. It’s not meant for you to have.” Lydia was completely stunned. She explained how her mother’s precious ring had broken and prayed that Mr. Reynolds would be able to fix it. But instead of thinking about the reparation, Mr. Reynolds closely inspected the ring and seemed to have a look of recognition in his eyes. Then he knew… He had seen this ring before, and when he revealed to Lydia where this was, her jaw dropped. Her mother had lied to her all this time. She could not believe it, but there was no doubt he was telling the truth… But what did the jeweler reveal to Lydia? What was the true story behind the ring, and how would it turn Lydia’s life upside down? Lydia is now happily married to John. They live a somewhat regular life, but they do struggle a bit financially. They can make ends meet, but the pair has to work relatively hard. And for Lydia, this has not been the only big struggle she has had to deal with in her life. Lydia has had a difficult life. She was an only child and had a very good relationship with her mother, Sara, because they always had to do everything together. Her father had never really been in the picture, and this had a pretty big effect on Lydia when she was young. Lydia had never even met her biological father. He had left her mother when he found out she had gotten pregnant. He and Sara were a couple at the time, but unwed, so it was easy to walk away from the family without consequences. Lydia had never forgiven him for this… Lydia’s whole childhood felt like a battle she fought alongside her mother. While she was in school, her mother worked two jobs in order to provide for them, and when Lydia was old enough, she managed to get a job as well to fill up her free hours in the week. It might have been a struggle every day, but the pair seemed to make it work. For a long time, it felt like all they had in the world was each other, and this created an incredibly strong bond between them. Sara didn’t feel the need to look for a new husband or boyfriend. Not that she even had the time. Lydia, however, did find the time for a little bit of romance in her life. She met her boyfriend, John, on the job, and they started to really connect with each other quickly. They were only together for a couple of months but already had big plans. But a big test for their relationship was just around the corner… Lydia and Sara were both saving up as much money as they could. This was all to give Lydia a chance to move out of the house when she was ready. Sara wanted nothing more than to give her only child the best life possible. But then the unthinkable happened… Sara suddenly got very sick when Lydia was around 24 years old. Doctors found it difficult to determine what exactly was wrong with her, and Sara’s condition quickly went downhill. Their lives were crashing down around them. All of their savings had gone to Lydia’s treatment. But sadly, it didn’t seem to matter. The doctors tried everything they could, but somehow, Sara’s body refused almost all the medication needed for her condition. Lydia had a very difficult choice to make. They could perform a very dangerous operation on her mother with a success rate of only ten percent, or she could let her mother go peacefully. Lydia decided not to do the operation. She knew her mother never liked being operated on, so if that would be her last moment alive, she would find that horrible. The doctors respected her decision and vowed to keep searching and trying new kinds of medication. But it was all in vain.  After only a few weeks, it was clear that Sara was not going to make it through. Because the doctors had been unable to determine what she was suffering from, all they could do was treat the symptoms and make Sara more comfortable. Lydia had to say goodbye to her mother and best friend. It was extremely hard for Lydia to get through this period. She had to take care of a lot of things being the only child and the only family member that really seemed to care. Sara had not been in close contact with other family members as she felt they never tried to help when she was struggling. With so much weight on Lydia’s shoulders, it was a miracle that she did not crack under the pressure. The main reason she managed to make it through was with a lot of help from her boyfriend, John. He had been there every step of the way, and it made them even closer than before. After her mother had passed away, a lot of things had to be taken care of. The funeral was the first thing that had to be organized. It was a sober goodbye with only a small gathering. It was an open casket, and the moment Sara’s sister saw her, she made a comment that would turn a lot of heads. Sara’s sister noticed that she was not wearing the ring she always had on. Lydia had not even thought about this in all the craziness. But now it was too late to even go looking for it. In the grand scheme of things, it just didn’t seem that important. Lydia had no idea how wrong she would be about this… Sara’s sister tried to make a big deal about her not wearing the ring, but luckily for Sara, the other family members interfered. They recognized how insignificant it was to fight about something so small on an already very sad day. Lydia was glad that the other family members backed her up, but it didn’t make her feel much better about that day. Even though it was a sober ordeal, Lydia did manage to say goodbye to her mother in a satisfying way. She was still distraught by the whole situation, but she was starting to make peace with it a little bit. She was, however, not prepared for everything that was about to happen next… After the funeral, the next major thing that had to be taken care of was the inheritance. Sara was not rich in the slightest bit, and before her passing, she had documented that everything she owned would be left to Lydia. And there was one thing Lydia did really want to find. The comment made at the funeral about her mother’s ring had stuck with her. Ever since then, Lydia knew she had to find it, as it was probably the item that had the most sentimental value to her. Sara had worn it nearly every day. But finding it was turning out to be more of a burden than a blessing.  Lydia looked everywhere, under the couch, in Sara’s bed, she even called the hospital to check if they had it stored somewhere, but it was all in vain. As long as the house was still packed with Sara’s belongings, finding the ring would be nearly impossible. So, she decided to sell some things.  Sara didn’t own a house; she just rented it. And she barely had any money saved. Even less than Lydia had expected. All of Sara’s money had either already gone into Lydia’s pocket in order to help her move out, or to all the treatment she needed in her final weeks. Many of the older items still left in the house, like worn-down furniture and clothing, went to thrift stores. Lydia had no need for most of it. Lydia did find a couple of items she wanted to keep that had some sentimental value. She desperately kept looking for the ring. Finally, she found it! Lydia knew that this ring had a story. Her mother had always told her she had stolen it when she was just a little girl. Apparently, when Sara was only twelve, she had a job cleaning houses for people. This made her a little bit of money that was needed to keep her household going. Most of the homeowners Sara worked for were really nice to her, and thus she enjoyed spending time there while she made her money. But it seemed that one of the women employing her was always really nasty and mean to Sara for no particular reason whatsoever. And not only with her words… She used to hit Sara every time she would do something that was not to her satisfaction. This went on for a couple of months as Sara could not leave at the time. She had no other houses to work at, and she really needed the money. But this treatment started taking its toll on little Sara. She began resenting going to work and would often try to be in different rooms than her boss. It was exhausting for little Sara to constantly look over her shoulder and try to get out of the way of the lady and still do a good job so she wouldn’t be punished.  But during all this, Sara was constantly looking for other work or other places to clean. And when Sara finally had another house to work in, she quickly quit the job, but not before stealing a ring she had found on her last day. It was her way of taking a little bit of revenge. Lydia had always taken this story as the truth and loved it when she was younger. It had made her see her mother as a badass and someone who was not afraid. It was an example she had always wanted to follow. But Lydia would eventually find out that this was not the whole story… Sara had always worn the ring proudly as a reminder of when she stood up for herself, and now Lydia would be wearing it as a reminder of her mother. Almost all other things she kept from Sara either disappeared in drawers and the shed or were sold after a while. Even though Lydia loved the story of the ring, it had always seemed a bit strange and even far-fetched to Lydia. Especially the more she started thinking about it. She never saw her mother as the type to do something against the rules or steal anything. Something wasn’t adding up. Lydia had, of course, only known Sara in a motherly role, so it was not that strange to think Sara might have been very different before she became a mother. Lydia decided not to think about it too much. But the truth can never be hidden forever and would soon be unexpectedly revealed to Lydia… Lydia had to move on with her life. Luckily she still had John. While they probably had the peak months of their relationship in the worst possible time, they did end up staying together and only grew closer through everything that Lydia had to go through. Closer in more ways than one… Not even a year after Sara had passed, the couple had their first child, Sammy. Lydia quickly found out that having a child was the best way to fill the void her mother left in a healthy way. The things she attempted before she got pregnant were a lot less healthy… Lydia had turned to alcohol in the first months after her mother’s passing. It was starting to become a big problem really fast because, to her, it started to feel like the only escape from her thoughts at the time. John got really worried about the situation for a while… Lydia would come home late and drunk and call in sick for work because her hangover was just too much to handle during the day. She was on the verge of losing her job when she got pregnant, and that ultimately saved them, because Lydia knew she had to change.  The pregnancy turned out to be a blessing in more ways than one. Lydia gave up the bottle immediately when she found out she was pregnant because she wanted to take no risks with the baby on the way. But she had to find a new release in the meantime. Lydia had gotten used to turning to alcohol every time a wave of sadness came over her. At this point, even if the sadness was not related to her mother’s passing. Being unable to do so, plus her becoming more and more hormonal during the pregnancy, made her an absolute wreck for months on end. They were some of the toughest months of Lydia’s life, which again had not been easy up to this point anyway. But with the birth of their child, things finally started to look up for the couple. Lydia was able to focus all her attention on raising Sammy, and the need for a drink got less and less because of it. As a replacement for alcohol, Lydia started to work out more and more. It was something she really enjoyed doing, and she thought that it would only have benefits for her. Which it did at first. Lydia was able to see the benefits of getting healthier. But eventually, working out would have an unexpected consequence for Lydia… Over the next couple of years, The life of the family was relatively good. Sammy was growing up in good health, Lydia and John had finally saved up enough money to get married and were still extremely happy together. But just like the rest of Lydia’s life, a big speedbump was about to appear on her path… After so many years, Sammy was grown up and ready to leave the house. It was a moment that Lydia was dreading very much. This is because caring for Sammy had been her main purpose in life for years on end, and she was afraid of what this major change in lifestyle would bring. To clear her mind, Lydia decided to go for a jog that afternoon. She did this often and was in relatively good shape for her age. Thinking back on her alcohol-filled days, she was very proud of how she was living now. But with her head firmly in the clouds, she wasn’t paying enough attention to the path… Lydia tripped on a branch that had fallen out of a tree and was lying on the path now. Lydia had to think in a split second and luckily managed to stick her hand in front of her to cushion her fall. But when Lydia tried to get up, she noticed something that sent a wave of despair through her body… Her mother’s ring, it had broken! The ring was still around her finger, where it had been for the last 25 years now, but it had cracked and was no longer a fully connected piece. Lydia felt tears well up in her eyes and decided to get back home immediately. She was hoping that John would be able to fix it, as he did with almost anything that had broken down in their house. But John wasn’t willing to take the risk with something that was so near and dear to Lydia’s heart. He advised her to take it to a jeweler to get it repaired. Lydia went that same afternoon. It was only a short drive into town, and she had called ahead to the jewelry store and was ensured by them that they could easily fix the broken ring at a relatively cheap price. But Lydia was not prepared for what the jeweler had to tell her upon inspecting the ring… Lydia and John lived in a small town. It was the same town Lydia and her mother had lived in all their lives and where she had met John. The place only had one jeweler who had been operational for all of Lydia’s life and even longer. But Lydia had never actually been inside this store, and suddenly she realized why… Lydia remembered that when she was younger, her mother had always forbidden her from going into the jewelry shop. Lydia had never known why as a kid, but she hadn’t questioned it. As an adult, she’d never had a reason to go to the store anyway because of her financial situation. Lydia was the only customer in the store when she entered, and the jeweler greeted her with a smile on his face. She explained what had happened and gave the employee the ring. He raised an eyebrow when he saw it and proclaimed that he had seen such a ring before, but could not place it. Lydia told him how she had gotten it and how her mother had supposedly gotten it. But when she mentioned at what age her mother had stolen the ring from her employer, the jeweler stopped her and said that it was impossible for that story to be correct. Lydia’s jaw dropped when he explained why. If the story was correct, it would mean that her mother had stolen the ring in 1952. But the techniques that were used to make this ring were only applied past 1968! This was the earliest that this ring could have been produced. Lydia was stunned by what she was being told. The jeweler went on and on about the ring, giving Lydia more details and arguments as to why it was impossible for that ring to be from anywhere near that time period. Then suddenly, while telling his story, the jewelry store employee had a realization and stopped talking. His eyes went wide, and he went to go look for something. He quickly went into the back and took out a small old book. It was a catalog of items they had in the store. But this was a catalog from the year 1968. He looked through a couple of pages and turned the book to Lydia. She could not believe what she was seeing on its pages. It was her mother’s ring! But how? The jeweler proclaimed that this was how he knew the ring. Their store had produced this model, but far before his time. And when he was in the back, he also did some digging through the store’s archives and made a bizarre discovery! This exact ring had been stolen from their store in 1969. He knew that it was this exact ring because the serial number matched up. He looked up at Lydia and said, “I’m sorry, but this ring shouldn’t be in your possession.” Lydia could not believe what she was hearing. Her mother had stolen the ring from this store? But why? And then the realization came to her… 1969 was the year when she was born. Her father had left her mother, and she had already been strapped for cash when he was in the picture. She must have started stealing out of desperation. Sara must have done it for Lydia. But the store clerk had one more thing to say. It was the first positive message of the conversation. He would allow Lydia to keep the ring. The crime happened so long ago that the police wouldn’t do anything about it if he tried. But even if they would, he had no intention of taking the ring away from her. He realized the sentimental value that it had to Lydia was way greater than any monetary value it would have to him. And luckily for Lydia, the jeweler was able to make that call, because it was now his store. He even offered to repair the ring and restore it to its original quality for free. Lydia could not be happier. But she was still left with the question of what else her mother had stolen. And what other secrets she was unaware of. She went home to John with mixed feelings of relief that her ring had been repaired and confusion about her mother. Why would she lie about stealing the ring at a young age instead of telling the truth about stealing the ring to care for her daughter? It was one thing to steal, but to also lie about it? As soon as she got home, she told John what had happened. John was just as stunned as her and even had the same questions. There were still a few belongings of her mother stored away in their attic, and they decided to get them out to check if those could be stolen as well.  Luckily for Lydia, the other items weren’t stolen. Which also was a bit of a relief, because she really didn’t want to remember her mother as a thief. This way, the memory of her mother stayed the same. and she could keep the items without feeling bad about them.  She had to make peace with the fact that there would always be a lot about her mother that she would never know. But what she did know, and actually had always known, is that there was nothing that her mother would not do for her. And knowing that made this ring even more special to her. Lydia went on to live a peaceful rest of her life with John by her side. Their son eventually moved back to his hometown to care for his aging parents. The ring stayed with Lydia till the end of her life and was given to her son to propose to his future wife.