My Fiancé Was Proposing When A Woman Walked In Holding His Secret Son. She Had The Dna Test Results Ready In Her Hand. How Do I Move On From This Public Humiliation?

A Walk Through Despair

Ashley was walking down the forest path, leading her into the distance. The woman was in a foul mood, and all she wanted was to be alone with herself. The forests of Maine had been providing everyone with such an opportunity since ancient times, especially in the summer. Towering pine and fir trees soared their branches into the sky, seemingly shielding the forest dwellers from the daylight.

Ashley had never ventured so far into the woods. Leaving marks on the tree branches, she kept moving forward. She was choking from the feeling of resentment, which prevented her from concentrating and regaining composure.

“Oh God, why is this happening to me? They embarrassed me in front of everyone, and just a week before my own wedding,”

the woman lamented.

Since Ashley had been walking through the woods for about an hour, pushing through dense bushes and piles of fallen trees, her exhausted body was slowly losing strength. It was understandable; not everyone could endure such a hike, especially with the swamps nearby where everything squelched beneath the feet, eager to drag one into the murky abyss.

Memories of Grandma Lois

Since Ashley grew up in this area, she knew how to behave in the forest. She had collected mushrooms and berries in those thickets with her Grandma Lois back in her childhood. In reality, Ashley wasn’t her biological granddaughter; Mrs. Turner took her in from an orphanage when she was a year old. Ashley had never seen her parents, but judging by the photo in the black frame, they had died a long, long time ago.

Those who knew Lois Turner well knew that she largely lived off the forest, which generously shared its gifts with her. Whether it was picking berries with her granddaughter or gathering medicinal roots, Lois knew her way around the woods.

There were also mushrooms, of course; they were her specialty. Lois would never confuse the edible with the poisonous ones. Her granddaughter absorbed this knowledge as her childhood passed amidst the green expanses of Maine.

The Call of the Abyss

Ashley’s legs were weakened with fatigue as she arrived at yet another swamp. The quagmire, greenish and unstable, beckoned her suggestively, as if inviting her for a visit without the possibility of returning.

“Maybe I should just take the plunge into the abyss? Just like that, forget everything and everyone once and for all,”

Ashley thought.

But immediately, she pushed that idea away. No, she wouldn’t do that. Peter didn’t deserve her drowning herself over him, and Ashley understood this better than anyone else. No, he was attractive, sure, but there was a good reason why all the local women ogled him and invited him over.

But that’s about all the merits Peter had. He was too soft and compliant; one could even say that he was spineless. He would do whatever his parents said, never having an opinion of his own.

“What did I ever see in him? Although, truth be told, I simply liked him at first glance,”

Ashley pondered.

A Cry in the Bushes

Suddenly, a strange sound pulled the woman out of her state of mournful contemplation. Its tone was such that it involuntarily made Ashley shudder. As if on cue, the croaking frogs fell silent and the birds settled in their nests, preparing to sleep. Twilight was approaching; being in the forest at this time was rather dangerous.

At that moment, Ashley heard the strange sound again. It came from the nearby bushes and resembled either a sigh or a muffled groan.

“Who’s there? Could it be a person who wandered so far into the woods?”

Ashley thought with concern.

Having carefully parted the bushes with her hands, the woman gasped quietly. There was a large she-wolf lying on the moss-covered ground. Her sides were round, heaving in rhythm with her intermittent breathing. Having heard the noise, the she-wolf glanced at Ashley.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you feeling unwell?”

Ashley asked softly, doing it as if talking to a person, not a wild creature.

Naturally, the she-wolf didn’t reply, merely groaning in response. Once again, the predator was clearly suffering from severe pain originating in her round belly. Ashley looked closer and barely suppressed a surprised cry. The she-wolf was pregnant and preparing to give birth right at that moment.

The Midwife of the Woods

“Now, now, dear. I’ll help you. Just don’t be afraid and trust me,”

Ashley whispered and began to massage the predator’s swollen belly.

The she-wolf growled deeply, then stealthily licked the woman’s hand. Ashley smiled and continued to stroke the predator’s belly. She knew what to do in such cases since she helped her grandma treat cows, sheep, and other domestic animals early on in her life.

Grandma Lois loved animals and instilled this love in her granddaughter. Together, they assisted cows in the birthing process, fed newborn piglets with milk, and raised chickens in an incubator. The locals knew that if their animals fell ill, they needed to go see Lois Turner; she could heal them and give them advice if needed.

Some people even claimed that the old woman knew a special secret and could talk to animals. Of course, if Lois had known about these rumors, she would have laughed them off and shaken her head with a mysterious smile. She never had any magical abilities, and all of her success came solely from her love for animals.

As Ashley stroked the she-wolf’s rounded sides, she kept whispering tender words, gradually increasing the pressure. Soon, the first pup appeared, followed by the second and the third. Ashley’s joy knew no bounds. That day, she hadn’t helped just anyone, but the little inhabitants of the forest who, in a year or so, would become full-fledged members of the wolf pack.

Safe Return

Thoughts of Peter’s betrayal faded into the background, replaced by the joy of having managed to help those in need. Darkness slowly descended over the forest; the day was giving way to the night. Knowing that spending the night in the woods was unsafe, Ashley hastened some branches to construct a makeshift shelter for the she-wolf and her pups so that they wouldn’t have to spend the night under the open sky, and then headed home.

If it were anyone else in her place, they would have surely gotten lost in the dense forest. But Ashley knew all the paths since childhood, and even if she did end up in a new spot, she always found her way back.

“Goodbye, Mother Wolf. Maybe we’ll meet again someday,”

Ashley bid farewell and hurried towards the edge of the forest.

The she-wolf watched her depart, then started licking the gray pups that were huddling against her chest. Ashley returned home very late when the moon was already shining high in the sky and the crickets and cicadas had begun their eternal night song.

Mrs. Turner greeted her at the doorstep.

“Where have you been, dear? I was getting worried. I was even thinking of calling the local sheriff,”

It was always like that; as soon as she disappeared from Grandma’s sight for a couple of hours, she immediately raised the alarm.

“Everything’s fine, Grandma. I was by the swamps and I helped a she-wolf give birth,”

the young woman added after a brief pause.

“Oh, that was risky, my love. I’m not sure you should have done it. Wolves… they aren’t your domestic dogs, you know that right? What if they had attacked you? It’s impossible to tell what’s on their mind, dear.”

“Oh no, Grandma. This wolf was kind. She licked my hand and she looked at me so plaintively. How could I have not helped her?”

Ashley retorted.

Grandma shook her head but didn’t condemn her granddaughter’s actions. The main thing was that she was unharmed and got distracted from her problems. Although it probably wouldn’t last long, but it was still better this way than crying all night with her face buried in a pillow.