I Moved Into An Abandoned House To Escape My Toxic Divorce. I Found A 7-year-old Hiding In My Basement Stealing Honey. When I Took Him Home, I Realized He’s My Biological Son. What Do I Do Now?

An Unexpected Guest

The businessman already realized that his little guest had probably gotten into the house through a window, after which he went down into the basement in search of something to eat. The boy looked frightened and was clearly waiting for some kind of reaction from the new owner of the house. But Stefan’s initial shock had already passed, and he didn’t intend to scold the boy for breaking into his new house.

“What were you doing in the basement? Looking for something or just having fun?” the businessman asked cautiously.

The kid sniffled then looked wearily at Stephen. Apparently, the little guest still didn’t know what to expect from the new owner of the house. Finally, he gathered up his courage and said,

“I was looking for something to eat. I was hoping to find something sweet. The late Mr. Batler once had his own apiary. He always kept jars of honey in the basement, so I decided to look for them,” the kid answered honestly.

Stefan smiled and shook the boy’s hand. Soon Stefan and his little guest took a couple of jars of honey and got out of the stuffy basement. As it turned out later, the boy who broke into the businessman’s house was Billy, and he lived with his mother in a neighboring village. The boy’s appearance, as well as his old clothes, made it obvious that he lived in poverty.

Having realized that the boy was probably hungry, Stefan quickly made him a couple of sandwiches. Fortunately, he bought some groceries on his way to the house. Having pounced on the treat, Billy looked gratefully at Stefan, who no longer seemed angry or dangerous.

“And where is your father, kiddo? Are your parents divorced?” the owner of the house asked, trying to sound casual.

“To be honest, I don’t know where he is. My mom doesn’t like to talk about it. She’s very sick. The doctors say she needs surgery, but we barely have enough money to buy food, so I do what I can,” Billy answered, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich.

The boy’s story made Stefan feel rather uncomfortable. Now he understood why Billy broke into someone’s house looking for food. Feeling sorry for the kiddo, Stefan decided to take him home so that he wouldn’t get into trouble on his way.

Seeing the joy in Billy’s eyes made the businessman feel good about himself. Frankly speaking, Stefan liked taking care of the boy who had to live such a hard life for reasons out of his control. When Billy was finally full, the businessman packed some food for him to take home to his mother.

The House in the Village

Then the man started his Chevrolet and graciously opened the door for the boy. Soon Stephan and Billy were already driving towards the village where the boy and his mother lived. It took them about 40 minutes to get there, which gave them a chance to enjoy the scenery on the way.

When Billy finally pointed to the house he lived in, Stefan’s heart sank. One glance was enough for the man to understand that people living there were extremely poor.

“Oh wow, I guess things are really bad with Billy’s mother,” Stephan thought wistfully.

The man got out of the car and looked around while the boy ran ahead and opened the front door. Fields overgrown with weeds and abandoned houses clearly indicated that this neighborhood wasn’t particularly popular with the villagers. Stefan followed Billy and found himself in his mother’s house. The room smelled strongly of medicines and herbs.

“Mom, I’m home! I brought some honey and food,” the boy exclaimed from the door.

“Thank you, dear. Just promise me you’re being careful,” the man heard someone’s quiet voice.

Stefan paused, still unsure of how to proceed.

“Let’s go, Sir. I’ll introduce you to my mother,” Billy offered.

Stefan smiled shyly then carefully followed the boy. Of course, Stefan tried to prepare himself for what he would see, but he was still shocked by the sight that opened up before his eyes.

A Familiar Face

Lying on the bed was a thin, emaciated woman who tried to spare her son’s feelings and appear healthier than she really was. Even for a person who knew nothing about medicine, it was obvious that the woman was seriously ill.

Stefan had never felt so out of place in his entire life, which made him ashamed to even look the woman in the eyes. But when Stefan did make eye contact with Billy’s mom, he felt uneasy. The woman’s face seemed very familiar to the businessman, as if he’d seen her before.

Suddenly the realization of his own discovery stunned Stefan, causing him to exclaim,

“Rachel? Is that really you?”

The woman lying on the bed looked at the guest in surprise, after which she said,

“No, you’ve made a mistake. My name is Monica. Rachel is my older sister.”

Stefan turned pale and involuntarily took a couple of steps towards the bed.

“She looks so much like Rachel,” that woman from the farm flashed through the businessman’s head.

Stefan’s mind suddenly became clouded. Thoughts and images from the past lined up in a coherent, logical chain that returned him to the time when he was only 22 years old and life was full of surprises.

On that rainy summer evening, Stefan was driving down the highway. He had no way of knowing that in just a mile and a half, his old Lincoln would stop and simply refuse to continue moving. The young man was on his way home from one of his rare visits to his grandmother. It just so happened that he got caught in the heavy rain.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the slightest chance of fixing his engine in those conditions. The road was filled with muddy rain streams and looked deserted, which made it impossible for the man to ask for help from other drivers. Having realized how hopeless his situation was, Stefan sat in his car and tried to figure out what he could do. Suddenly he turned his head to the right and saw a small road sign showing the direction to a small settlement.

“Maybe I should try asking the locals for help,” Stefan thought, delighted by his own idea.