A Teen’s Search for Family Leads to an Unexpected Truth

“Sometimes the family you choose chooses you first.”

Sixteen-year-old Eric, haunted by questions about his birth mother, slips away from his foster family during a camping trip. Despite the Johnsons’ unwavering love, he’s never felt like he truly belonged—especially after the birth of their daughter, Mila.

At a gas station, a diner sign triggers a memory. A faded photo of his biological mom—marked “Eliza and Eric”—leads him on a nighttime journey to the diner. There, he meets Eliza, only to be rejected. “I told you—I don’t have any kids,” she says coldly.

Heartbroken and caught in a misunderstanding, Eric is picked up by police. But to his surprise, the Johnsons rush to his side at the station.

“You’re as much our child as Mila is,” Mr. Johnson assures him.

Through tears, Eric hears the words he’s longed for: they want to adopt him.

“We’re your parents, Eric. That will never change.”

In seeking his past, Eric discovers his real family had been with him all along.