It was a busy Monday morning. The office was full of energy as people rushed to their desks, phones rang off the hook, and the smell of fresh coffee filled the air. Caleb, a 29-year-old rich businessman, sat in his corner office, focused on his company’s annual report.
That’s when the door opened.
“Excuse me, Sir… I’m so sorry,” said a gentle voice. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’ll just mop the floor real quick.”
Caleb looked up—and froze.
The woman standing there looked just like his late mother. Same warm eyes. Same soft smile. She looked to be in her late 50s and wore a janitor’s uniform. Caleb’s heart almost stopped.
“Oh my God…” he whispered. “This is unbelievable.”
He tried to keep his cool. “It’s okay… come in,” he said, still staring at her. “Have we met before? You look… so familiar.”
The woman smiled politely. “My name is Michelle, Sir. I just started working here. I moved to this town two weeks ago. Maybe you’ve seen me somewhere around?”
“I’m Caleb,” he said, eyes narrowing. “It’s strange, but when I look at you, I get this odd feeling. Like I’ve seen you before in a dream.”
He reached for his coffee—then accidentally knocked the cup over, spilling it all over his laptop.
“Damn… not again!” Caleb shouted and jumped up.
“Don’t worry, Sir, I’ll take care of it,” Michelle said quickly. She rolled up her sleeves and began cleaning. Caleb leaned in to help—and that’s when he saw it.
A scar. Oval-shaped. On her left arm.
His breath caught in his throat.
“This scar… how did you get it?” he asked.
Michelle paused. “This scar? You might find this strange, but… I have no idea. I lost my memory over twenty years ago. I don’t remember anything—my name, my past. I chose the name Michelle after seeing it on a billboard. That’s all I’ve got.”
Caleb’s heart pounded in his chest. “No family? No friends?”
Michelle looked down. “No one. I was alone. Even in the hospital… nobody came looking for me. I’ve been wandering ever since. Until I found this job.”
Something inside Caleb stirred. The scar. The face. The voice. It was all too much to be coincidence.
“Michelle,” he said slowly, “this might sound crazy… but you look just like my mother. She died 28 years ago. My dad told me she died in a car crash when I was just a baby. She had the exact same scar on her arm. I’ve only seen her in one old photograph… and you’re her mirror image.”
Michelle froze. “What? Are you serious? You think I could be your mother?”
“I don’t know,” Caleb said, rubbing his face. “But something feels off. Would you come with me to the hospital? For a DNA test?”
Michelle hesitated. Then nodded. “Yes. I want to know the truth too.”
They drove in silence. Caleb kept sneaking glances at her in the mirror. Her eyes. They haunted him. She looked like the woman in that photo he found 12 years ago…
Flashback – 12 Years Ago
Caleb was 17. He and his dad, William, were fixing the roof.
“You just twist the hammer like this, son!” William showed him how to remove rotten planks.
“Dad, can’t we just hire someone? This is boring,” Caleb groaned.
“If you pay others to do everything, you’ll end up like Uncle Dexter—lazy and broke!” William chuckled.
Caleb rolled his eyes and headed to the attic to remove more planks. That’s when he saw it—a yellowed photo hidden under a floorboard.
A woman holding a baby. On the back it said: “Baby Caleb with Mommy. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart :)”
“What the…?” Caleb stared at it. That woman wasn’t Olivia, the woman he called Mom. She had a scar on her arm. Olivia didn’t.
He stormed downstairs. “Dad! Who is this?!”
William’s face turned pale. He stammered. “Wh-where did you find that?”
“In the attic,” Caleb said. “This says it’s me with my mom… but that’s not Olivia, is it?”
William sighed deeply. Then took a long sip of beer.
“I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said. “Olivia isn’t your real mother. Your birth mother died in a car crash 28 years ago. I married Olivia so you’d have a mom.”
Tears welled in Caleb’s eyes. “You should’ve told me.”
William hugged his son. “I only ever wanted the best for you.”
The next day, they visited the cemetery. Caleb knelt before the grave of Sarah J., tears streaming down his face. “Goodbye, Mom,” he whispered.
Back to Present Day
A car horn snapped Caleb back to the moment.
“We should go,” Michelle said gently from the backseat.
“Yeah. Sorry,” Caleb nodded and drove to the hospital.
Inside, he told the nurse, “We need a DNA maternity test. As soon as possible. I’ll pay extra.”
While they waited, Caleb asked, “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Michelle stared into space. “Waking up in the woods. A woodcutter said I was found floating in a river. I had no ID. Nothing. Just my clothes. Then the hospital… and after that, my life began all over.”
The nurse returned with a file.
Caleb opened it.
“99.99% match,” he read aloud.
His jaw dropped. “You’re my MOM!”
Michelle gasped. Caleb hugged her tightly, crying into her shoulder.
But one question still burned inside him.
“Why did Dad lie to me?” Caleb asked. “Why would he fake your death?”
“I think we should ask him,” he said. “But I have a plan…”
The Confrontation
An hour later, Caleb and Michelle sat outside William’s mansion.
“Are you ready?” Caleb asked.
“Yes,” Michelle replied. “I know what to say.”
She knocked on the door. William opened it—and froze.
“Jennifer??” he gasped.
“Uh, no… I’m Michelle,” she smiled. “From Mayflower Cosmetics. Offering your wife a gift set.”
William blinked. “Are you kidding me? You look exactly like…”
“Oh, I get that a lot,” Michelle said coolly. “But I have amnesia. Lost all memory over 20 years ago.”
William stared at her. Then shook his head. “Sorry. Must’ve been mistaken. I’m William.”
“Michelle,” she said, shaking his hand.
That’s when William noticed the scar.
He flinched.
“Would you like a coffee while I show you the samples?” she offered.
William nodded slowly. “Sure…”
She stepped inside, and the truth was about to burst wide open.
