My Wife Waited Years to Become a Mother – but Just Four Weeks After the Adoption, I Came Home and Found Her Crying: ‘We’re Not Parents Anymore!’
My wife Megan and I thought the hardest part of adoption was over—years of infertility, two miscarriages, endless paperwork, and waiting. When we finally brought home our newborn daughter, Rhea, Megan held her like she’d been waiting her whole life to breathe again.
Then, just weeks later, an email from the agency shattered everything: the birth mother, Melissa, had a 30-day window to revoke consent—and she wanted Rhea back.
That same night, Melissa showed up at our door. She didn’t come crying or apologizing. She came with a threat.
“I need money,” she said. “I’m not ready to be a mom, but I can take her back… unless you pay me to walk away.”
She demanded $15,000 in cash.
Megan broke down upstairs while I stayed calm on purpose. Our security system recorded the entire conversation, and I quietly recorded it on my phone too—making sure she clearly said she’d reclaim Rhea unless we paid.
The next day, we hired an adoption lawyer and turned over the footage.
The fight dragged on for months. Melissa tried to change her story, but the recordings didn’t let her. In the end, the judge ruled that she had attempted to extort money and treat a child like property. Her parental rights were terminated permanently.
When we finally brought Rhea home for good, Megan didn’t let go for hours.
We learned love isn’t just a feeling—it’s what you do when you’re terrified. And no one was taking our daughter again.
