From His Wife to His Uncle's Wife novel Chapter 263

When Jared got home from school, the groceries were still sitting on the kitchen table and the lights were off. The whole place felt strangely quiet.

He didn’t see his mom anywhere in the living room, so he knocked softly on her bedroom door before letting himself in. She was curled up on the bed, her back hunched and facing away from him.

“Mom, are you feeling okay?”

Juliana didn’t turn around. She didn’t want him to see her red, puffy eyes. “I’m fine. Probably just caught a little cold. I took some medicine and I want to lie down for a bit. Jared, can you order yourself some takeout tonight?”

Jared nodded, but he still looked worried. “If you’re really not feeling well, maybe we should go to the hospital.”

He hovered in the doorway, not ready to leave. “Mom, did you eat anything yet?”

“Don’t worry about me, Jared. Just take care of yourself.”

Jared quietly left her room and headed back to the kitchen with the groceries. He turned on the stove, started a simple soup, and chopped up some lean meat and fresh greens.

He’d learned to take care of himself early on. Even though Eleanor and his mom always did their best to look after him, he never acted like some spoiled kid who couldn’t lift a finger. He could tell his mom was upset, and it just didn’t feel right to ignore it.

An hour later, he brought a steaming bowl of soup to her room. “Mom, I made you some lean meat soup. It’s hot right now. Try to have a little, okay? You need to eat something.”

Hearing her son’s gentle words, Juliana felt her eyes sting again. She’d lost count of how many times she’d cried that afternoon. The tears just kept coming, no matter how hard she tried to stop them. She couldn’t help but wonder, over and over, if she’d made a huge mistake.

She started bringing the rich woman’s baby over, trying to get close to her. The lady was still weak from giving birth, and Juliana, always hardworking and quick with her words, would mention how tough things were at home. Eventually, the woman took pity on her and offered her a job as a live-in nanny.

Juliana was thrilled. She could care for her own daughter and earn a good salary at the same time. When Benjamin found out, he was hesitant, but they were desperate. He took Juliana’s hands and promised he would give them a better life someday.

Benjamin worked long hours, driving trucks day and night, while Juliana looked after both girls. She learned her real daughter’s name was Jessie Goff, and the other child, Eleanor, got her name from the wealthy lady herself. The only truly kind thing Juliana ever did was let the girl’s birth mother choose her name.

She was always nervous that, as the girls grew up, someone would notice Eleanor didn’t look like the rest of the family. But then the lady of the house became ill and passed away. Juliana felt a mix of sorrow and a secret, guilty relief. Now, no one would ever discover the truth about the girls she’d switched.

She never imagined that, twenty-seven years later, someone would dig up her secret all over again.