Shattered Dreams and the Miracle of Hope: The Story of Emily
“Oliver, love, you and Emily have been together three years now, and still no children,” grumbled Oliver’s mother over the phone. “Your father and I aren’t getting any younger—we want grandchildren to spoil. Maybe your wife should get checked. There might be treatments she needs.”
“Mum, I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Oliver replied. “But Emily says these things take time.”
“I know a nurse at a proper clinic,” his mother insisted. “I’ll ring her and arrange an exam. No hiding the results—I’ll see them myself.”
And so it was settled. Emily, unaware, had become a target. She overheard Oliver’s conversation while hiding in the bedroom, her heart twisting like a wrung-out cloth. “Could it really be true?” She’d dreamed of holding a baby, singing lullabies, but her mother-in-law’s words shattered those dreams like glass.
That evening, Emily sat on the sofa, eyes fixed blankly on the telly. A favourite show played, but it felt distant, unreal. The scrape of a key in the lock startled her. Oliver walked in, dropped his bag by the door, and sat beside her, his jaw tight, his gaze evasive. “Emily, listen—I’m a proper bloke,” he began, each word a hammer blow. “I need an heir. And with you… it’s not happening. Here, look.”
He handed her a file. Inside were medical reports, cold and final: *No chance of pregnancy.* Tears spilled before she could stop them. “I want a divorce,” Oliver said, quiet but firm.
Emily’s breath caught. The man she loved was casting her aside as if their years together meant nothing. “He doesn’t want me like this,” she thought, packing her things. She moved back to her father’s old flat on the outskirts of town. Her mother had passed five years prior, and her father, often out with mates, only shook his head. “Bad luck, love. Who’d take you now?”
His words stung, but Emily knew he wasn’t wrong. Her chances of remarrying were slim. “Guess it’s just my lot,” she resolved, steeling herself. Life went on: work, routines, burying the ache. She took a job as an office administrator, losing herself in paperwork.
One day at a café, she bumped into an old schoolmate, William. They reminisced, laughing over shared memories. “Emily, I’ve always fancied you,” he admitted suddenly. “Still do. You’re free, I’m free… maybe we could give it a go?”
Emily hesitated. “Will, I like you too,” she said honestly. “But Oliver left me because I can’t have children. You deserve someone who can give you a family.”
“See another doctor,” William urged. “Might be a mistake.”
“Maybe,” Emily sighed. “I just… gave up after the first verdict.”
“Let’s try, eh?” he said gently. “I don’t care what the doctors say. You’re what matters.”
She agreed, relieved by his kindness. Another exam confirmed the worst: no children. She told William straight away. “Well, then,” he said calmly. “Adoption’s always an option.”
A month later, Emily moved in with him. They married, and for the first time in years, she felt safe. They talked of adopting a boy, dreaming of a son. But one night, Emily woke crying. She’d dreamed of her mother, smiling, whispering: *“Darling, you’ll have children. Go to church, pray—it’ll happen.”* The dream felt so vivid, Emily couldn’t shake it. She rarely thought of her mum, yet this vision lingered like a ghost. “Shame it’s just a dream,” she thought, craving her mother’s comfort.
She’d never put stock in prophetic dreams, but the longing for a child gnawed at her. Months later, coworkers mentioned a trip to a cathedral where relics of a saint were displayed. “Fancy coming?” they asked. Emily remembered the dream. “Worth a shot,” she thought.
The cathedral was packed, queues winding like rivers. When her turn came, Emily touched the relics and whispered: *“Lord, You didn’t give me children, but I’ve dreamed of nothing else. They say it’s impossible. Please… help.”* A weight lifted, as if she’d shrugged off chains.
Two months later, Emily was pregnant. She couldn’t believe it—another doctor confirmed the miracle. Joyful tears streamed down her face. “I’m going to be a mum!” she gasped, laughing through sobs. Her mother’s dream had been true.
A healthy boy was born. Two years later, another son arrived. Life with two was hectic, but Emily glowed with happiness. In time, she and William had five sons. “If God sends them, we’ll welcome them,” they decided. Emily, whose dream of motherhood once seemed lost, thanked fate for every chaotic, beautiful day with her boys. The Lord had heard her prayer, gifting her the family she’d longed for.
