Just a week after the funeral, Ben contacted an agency to find potential buyers for the house. To his surprise, a couple quickly expressed interest in purchasing it.
That same week, Ben and his wife, Cassandra, traveled from New York to Texas to meet the prospective buyers. While touring the house with their agent, Mr. Franklin, Cassandra stumbled upon one of Ben’s childhood photo albums.
“Ben, come look at this,” she called out. “I still think you should reconsider selling the house. It holds so many memories for you.”
Ben sighed deeply. “Not exactly the happy memories you’re imagining, Cassandra. After I moved out, Mom and I barely spoke. She never even told me who my father was, no matter how much I begged.”
Before Cassandra could respond, Mr. Franklin interrupted, announcing the arrival of the buyers. “Mr. and Mrs. Dixon, the buyers are here. Shall we proceed?”
“Of course,” Cassandra replied with a smile, then glanced back at Ben.
“I’m selling the house, Cassandra,” Ben said firmly. “I don’t want to stay here any longer than I have to. And as for this album… I wish Mom had cared more about me than these keepsakes. Just put it back. We don’t need it.”
“No way, Ben! I’m keeping this. Our kids should see how adorable their dad was as a child.”
Ben grumbled, “Fine, do what you want,” and walked off.
Cassandra tucked the album into her purse and freshened up before heading to meet the buyers. After the meeting, they decided to grab a bite at a nearby restaurant.
When they arrived, Ben told Cassandra to go ahead while he parked the car. She stepped out, unknowingly leaving her handbag behind. Ben noticed, grabbed it, and as he did, the photo album slipped out.
Curiosity got the best of him, and he began flipping through the pages. As he looked at the old photos of himself and his mother, he felt an unexpected lump in his throat.
Just as he was putting the album back, something slipped out and fell to the ground. It was a photo. Ben picked it up, his heart racing. When he examined it closely, he froze.
The picture showed him and his mother, alongside another boy who looked strikingly similar to him.
“What the… Who is this?” he muttered, flipping the photo over. On the back, in neat cursive, was written: “Ben and Ronnie, 1986.”
Cassandra, noticing the photo, gasped. “Ben, he looks exactly like you! He could be your brother!”
Ben’s voice trembled. “But if that’s true… why didn’t Mom ever tell me?”
Determined to find answers, Ben started searching for Ronnie online but came up empty-handed.
He decided to return to his mother’s house and search through her belongings. In her wardrobe, he found old hospital records. Fortunately, he managed to track down the hospital where he was born.
When he called, the hospital staff explained that most of the employees had changed over the years, and they needed time to retrieve the old records. Growing impatient, Ben decided to visit the hospital in person.
His investigation led to a shocking discovery—his mother had given birth to twins but had left one behind at the hospital. The abandoned child had later been transferred to a neurological care facility. Ronnie wasn’t just a boy in the photo—he was Ben’s twin brother.
Determined to meet him, Ben obtained the facility’s address and rushed there. When he arrived, his heart broke. Lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by medical equipment, was a man who was his exact duplicate.
A nurse named Julie recognized Ben and shared the truth. “I was here when your mother visited Ronnie. She had tracked down his location and secretly came to see him, but I saw her watching from a distance. At first, she claimed to be a relative, but then she admitted the truth—she was his mother.”
Raising two children alone had been impossible for his mother, especially with Ronnie’s special needs.
But unlike his mother, Ben refused to abandon his brother. He brought Ronnie home and shared the entire story with Cassandra. Without hesitation, she agreed—they would care for Ronnie together for the rest of their lives.