When my husband arrived at the maternity ward to pick me up with our newborn son, I made a simple request. Little did I know, that request would alter the course of our lives forever.

Many years ago, I married a wonderful man, and soon we were expecting our second child. On the day of delivery, amidst the chaos of hospital renovations, I brought a blue-eyed boy into the world. However, when it came time for discharge, the staff mistakenly brought me a brown-eyed, dark-skinned girl instead of my son. In those days, infants were kept separate and only brought to their mothers for feeding, which led to a moment of panic when I realized the mix-up.

It soon became apparent that the girl they had brought me was actually abandoned by her mother and destined for an orphanage. The thought of inadvertently taking home the wrong child, while my son ended up in an orphanage, filled me with dread. After the misunderstanding was rectified, I confided in my husband, expecting anger or disbelief. To my surprise, he suggested adopting the girl—an idea I hadn’t dared to voice.

The doctors, anticipating our outrage, were stunned when we expressed our desire to adopt her. Despite initial resistance, my husband convinced them to initiate the necessary procedures. After making the required “contributions,” the doctors amended my medical records to indicate that I had given birth to twins.

Our parents were taken aback when we introduced them to our newest addition, but their doubts didn’t matter to us. We were overjoyed to provide her with a loving home, regardless of the unconventional circumstances of her arrival.