I am a single mother—

A woman that people whisper about, calling me immoral, shameful.

But how many of them truly know the truth?

That on the very day of our wedding, he passed away forever,

Leaving behind me and a child who hadn’t even taken form yet.

The day he left, I couldn’t even cry.

People said I was heartless,

That my fiancé had died and I didn’t shed a single tear.

But they didn’t know—

My heart had gone numb from the moment I said goodbye to him.

I was in agony, in a pain so deep it choked me.

I wanted to cry, but no tears would come.

Who could ever understand a pain like that?

The happiest day of my life, turned into the most painful one.

As time passed, the pain started to dull.

Then I began to notice changes in my body.

A checkup confirmed it—

I was carrying his child.

I was overwhelmed with joy—

At least a piece of him remained in this world.

I rushed to call his parents, thinking they would be happy too.

But what I got instead were cruel words:

“How do we even know it’s our grandchild?

You probably slept around and now you’re pinning it on our son.

You’d better get rid of it—our family isn’t raising someone else’s mistake.”

Their words pierced me like knives.

When people heard what his family had said,

Everyone told me I should get an abortion—start over.

But somehow, I just couldn’t do it.

I couldn’t bear to harm my own child.

I made the decision to keep the baby,

To raise my child on my own, no matter what.

Watching my child grow day by day brought me overwhelming happiness.

Somehow, I stopped caring about the gossip,

Stopped listening to the venomous words people whispered behind my back.

They weren’t me. They would never understand what I felt.

Time went by quickly.

The day I gave birth was long and difficult.

But the moment I heard my child’s first cry, I burst into tears—

Tears of happiness.

From that moment on, I knew

That I would carry life’s burdens on my shoulders.

But I also knew—

I had made the right decision.

And I never regretted bringing my child into the world.

It was my first time being a mother,

My first time caring for a newborn.

Looking at my tiny, fragile baby,

I wondered how I would ever manage.

Everything was new to me.

I had no experience,

Fumbling and awkward in everything I did.

When I held my child in my arms, my hands trembled,

Afraid I’d drop them.

Changing diapers, dressing the baby—

Even the smallest things felt huge.

I was terrified of being too rough, of hurting my child, making them cry.

There were so many things I didn’t know,

And I had to ask my mother for help.

Bathing my child was the hardest—

I was so clumsy, I nearly dropped them into the tub more than once.

But eventually, things became easier.

Being a mother for the first time,

Caring for my child,

Was both the hardest and the happiest thing I’ve ever done.

And it was the first time I ever truly made a decision for myself.

Even knowing all the hardship ahead,

I have never once regretted bringing my child into this world.

If I could go back in time,

I would still choose to give my child life.