0:00 Have you ever made a giant mistake before? Like a really big, irreversible mistake? Sure, everyone says something they regret every once in a while, but my mistake brought life into the world. Well, okay, so maybe I'm not the only girl in the world who accidentally got pregnant, but how many people can say they had to give birth next to a donkey? Being from a rich family is not all it's cracked up to be. Nobody knows about my secret, not even my parents. And I need it to stay that way. I don't think And I need it to stay. I could ever show my face at my house again. Before I go into any of that drama, don't forget to subscribe to this channel. Every new subscription makes a kitten smile. And who doesn't like a happy kitten? Local stray cats were the closest thing I ever had to a pet. Boarding schools have their perks, but it was kind
0:47 of hard never getting that typical family experience you see on TV. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents. But being CEOs of several successful companies meant they didn't have a lot of time for me. being CEOs of several The time they did have was pretty stressful because I acted out a lot. One time I even made the nanny cry because I just started breaking things. She quit the same day. My parents always thought I'd grow out of my lively phase, as Daddy called it, but my temper tantrums only got bigger. When we kept losing staff in our house, I gained a bit of a reputation. as a demon child. After a while, people wouldn't even come to our interviews anymore. My parents were oblivious. That is, until their friend told them about the lovely gossip they overheard about us from their butlers. They were
1:36 mortified, to say the least. I always thought that I was their everything. It turns out their reputation was their top priority. Even though Daddy insisted people were just dramatic, they decided I should... spend some time away from home. That week, just a week before my 14th birthday, they sent me out to a boarding school overseas. They took me away from all my friends and toys with so little notice. I made such a scene at that airport. Even I'm embarrassed looking back. My parents thought it was the ultimate punishment, which it was at first. Realistically, it probably just added fuel to the fire. See, my parents weren't the only ones who tried to punish their spoiled teens by sending them to this boarding school. The school was super
2:24 easy, and the teachers seemed more afraid of giving out Fs than students were of receiving them. This meant I had a lot of free time to do whatever I wanted with almost no supervision. It didn't take long for me to find a group of not so nice friends that encouraged me to skip class, party all night, and shop. I spent at least $2 ,000 a week on new clothes and makeup alone. When I met my parents during breaks, my mom would always make comments about the credit card bill. She'd say things like, How do you spend so much money on clothes when you wear a uniform? Or, What teen needs to import her coffee? Luckily, Daddy would always rush to my defense. She works so hard in school. We work hard so she can have nice things. She deserves it. I always did like
3:12 my We work hard so she can have nice things. She deserves dad more than my mom. He was easy to win over. Sadly, not everything can be excused as easily as a credit card bill. Like many other mistakes, mine started with a boy. Derek was older, rebellious, and poor. Everything my parents would disapprove of. There was something about him that just made him forbidden fruit. I used to stay out all night watching him practice the drums with his band. Before I knew it, I was spending every day with him and his friends. It was weird listening to them talk about jobs and bills. It was like they were from a whole other world. I wasn't very good at keeping this thought very secret, though. I constantly asked questions that, in retrospect, were a little insensitive. I remember this one time in particular. Derek and
3:59 I were fooling around, and we broke his laptop. Derek was panicking, but I couldn't fix it. Derek was panicking, but I couldn't figure out why he was overreacting. Just buy a new one, I argued. It's not that easy. Do you have any idea how much that costs? As he continued to freak out, I got on my phone and just bought a new laptop. It was even a better model than the one we broke. See, I said coyly, it's not that hard. I expected Derek to be grateful, but he just got angry. I tried to argue that it was just a laptop, but he only got more upset. you that it was just a laptop, but he only got more upset. I asked him why he was freaking out and why he didn't just call his parents. Just leave, he shouted as he stormed off to the other room and locked the door. Was he rejecting me? I mean, maybe I am a little intense, but no one likes to be told no. Even as a
4:48 kid, I would go nuts if I didn't get my way. I once broke my mom's glasses just because she wouldn't play with me. How dare he? I was so upset. I had to be the best thing that ever happened to him. You're making a mistake, I shouted as I pounded on the door. We work well together. Oh yeah? he asked. You think you like being with a bad boy? When is the last time you did something dangerous? I thought about it for a moment. I remembered all the times that I yelled at the nannies and broke things. I remembered throwing cups at my butler and saying very harsh words to my parents. in very harsh words to my parents. I can be bad. I said. Then prove it, he said. I'll do anything, I cried. Before I knew it, I was walking with him and his friends down to this run -down area. We went to this chained apartment store
5:36 I had only seen in movies. You want me to shop here? I asked, trying to mask my disgust. On any other occasion, I wouldn't be caught dead at a place like this. No, Derek smirked. I want you to shoplift. Come again? You heard me. I was so nervous as I walked into I want you to shoplift. the store. I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. I feel the eyes of Derek and his friends burning into my back as they watched me. The first stand to catch my attention was this cheap little makeup stand. Ew. Just take it, I urged myself. Just do it already. Told you she would chicken out. One of his friends jeered. That was all the motivation I needed to slide a store brand neon lipstick into my bag and turn to walk out. I know it was stupid. I had
6:25 the money to buy the $3 lipstick. But Derek was worth it. Or at least I thought so at the time. Now I know what you're thinking. What does lipstick have to do with a baby? Just hold on. We are getting there. Because my mistake doesn't end with stealing lipstick to impress a boy. Unfortunately for me, the lipstick had one of those... theft -proof stickers and set off the security alarms as I was trying to leave. Derek and his friends ran away and left me to take all the blame. I used every trick in the book. Oh, I forgot. It was an accident. I can pay you $20 if you let this go. Sadly, not even tears would stop them from calling the headmaster. Unlike a lot of other teachers, the headmaster was a stern and terrifying woman. Esther was a stern and terrifying
7:11 woman. Like my parents, she was also very concerned with her reputation. Like my parents? She brought me to her office and expelled me on the spot. I was devastated. I begged and pleaded with her to reconsider, but she insisted there was a no -tolerance policy for thieves. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, she told me I had to call my parents and tell them what happened. I cried and cried, but no amount of excuses seemed to make up for it. They were coming for me first thing They were crying. in the morning and that was it. I cried the whole time I packed. Yet again, I was being uprooted from my life so quickly. What was even worse was that Derek wasn't returning any of my calls. He just abandoned me like I was nothing to him. I must have left 30 desperate
7:59 voicemails on his phone. The worst part was I wasn't trying to call to yell at all to yell at him or demand an apology. I was crying because I was probably never going to see him again. I feel pathetic looking back, but he broke my heart, and your first love always hurts the most. My parents acted very coldly when they arrived. My mother spent the better part of the morning lecturing me while my father wouldn't even look me in the eye. I was too caught up in my romantic drama to pay attention to what my mom was saying. That is until I heard the deafening sentence, Well, I heard the deafening sentence. if you don't get your act together, we're going to cut you off. Cut me off? What does that even mean? They can't just stop supporting their kid. That's practically child abuse. Mom, it was a mistake. I won't do it again. I promise. Daddy, you know I
8:48 didn't mean it. Finally, my dad chimed back in. Listen to your mother. There are going to be some big changes coming your way. So you'd best be getting ready. If you think you need to steal something, well, well, maybe you should start working and learn the value of these things because you certainly don't appreciate it. If you think you need to steal something, well... What did all this mean? Suddenly, not seeing Derek didn't seem like the worst thing in the world. Instead, I had to worry about being poor. I never had an interest in having a job, and the thought of not being able to buy whatever I wanted, it sickened me. Imagine me having to cry because of a measly laptop. Agent, me having to cry because of a measly laptop? I go through at least for a year. Where would I even work? The ride back to our home was quiet, which was somehow even worse than lectures. I immediately went to my room
9:38 as soon as we made it home. After skipping lunch the next day, my parents asked me to join them for dinner. Family dinners weren't a normal thing for us, so I knew this was code for family discussion. I was shaking worse now than ever before. My parents were waiting for me in the dining room. My parents were waiting. My mom looked annoyed, but my dad looked much calmer. A very good sign. I greeted them as nicely as I could and apologized again. We know you feel bad about it, Cupcake, so this is why we are going to give you one last chance. Promise me you won't blow it? Oh, thank you, Daddy. I would never. I ran over to hug my dad, but my mom looked irritated and added, Tom looked irritated and added, one more chance. If you
10:24 so much as have a single detention, well, you aren't going to be happy about it. Typical her. Wait, does this mean I can go back to school? Not this semester, unfortunately. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't stay busy. So you will find something to do in the meantime, she sneered. My mom was enjoying this. Oh, but Daddy, don't you think I learned my lesson? I agree with your mother here. You need to find something to do. I was a little annoyed that I still had to work, but at least I wasn't being cut off. Ironically, the next day when my mom had set up an interview with her friend's boutique, I got sick. Like, really sick. I was nauseous and woozy. I felt like I had food poisoning, which is
11:09 exactly what my dad scrapped it up to be. My mom thought I was faking it first, but how was I supposed to fake that? The scary part was, I was also late. And I don't mean to the interview. I went out that day and bought a pregnancy test. And to my horror, it was positive. I was just 18. If my parents considered cutting me off over lipstick, they'd surely cut me off when they found out I got pregnant from some nobody drum player. I had so many emotions. I was sad and mad and most of all scared. What was I supposed to do? This was not I was sad and mad and most of all, scared. the kind of thing I could talk myself out of. My parents could not find out about this. Not ever. Derek hadn't returned my messages before and I doubt a baby would change that. I was on my own. I spent
11:58 the night scouring forums until I found my perfect solution. There was a volunteer position available in an impoverished area in South America. All I had to do was leave before I started. to show. And this entire pregnancy could be my dirty little secret. I told my parents about my new plan. I was going to volunteer around there for 14 months. It was a mission trip to an isolated village. I explained to them that this was how I was going to really evolve as a person. And surprisingly, my parents agreed. You want time away from shopping malls and internet to help those in need? My mother questioned suspiciously. Of course she does. I always knew our daughter was selfless, my father cheered. They were proud of me,
12:46 which only made me feel guilty. I really am a spoiled brat who gets away with everything. My time volunteering was eye -opening. I really didn't understand what real poverty was until this point. Here I was judging people that couldn't easily afford laptops, only to see that there are actually people who can't afford to feed their kids. It was such a hard experience. I even considered coming back a few times, but I knew with my baby bump, it wasn't going to be a real option for me if I wanted to stay in my parents' good graces. After a while, I started actually liking my time there in a weird way. Sure, not enough to move there, but I really did come to love the community. Unity. The people may have been poor, but they gave me everything. I spent my days teaching The people may have been poor, but they gave me everything. English to local kids,
13:34 and in turn, they took me in. As the pregnancy progressed, many of the women in the village stepped up to help. I told everyone that it was a secret, and nobody seemed to judge me about it. They even helped set me up with a nice couple who was willing to take my baby when the time came. Towards the end of my pregnancy, the couple even helped me set up at a hospital in a nearby city. Well, if you could call it that. The hospital was nothing compared in a nearby city. Well, if you could call it that. to what I knew as hospitals. It was more like a shack in the middle of the dusty woods. Everything was crowded and kind of dirty. To my horror, there were wild animals popping up to the windows. At that moment, I really started to have some second thoughts about the decisions that I had made to make it to this point. Still, I just kept telling myself it would be worth it when I got to go
14:21 home again. Giving birth inches away from a donkey was the price I paid to stay rich. In just a few short hours, my life changed forever. I welcomed a daughter into the world. It was really weird. For months, I had looked at this pregnancy like a burden that I needed to overcome to get my old life back. Yet, holding her in my hands for the first time seemed to change everything. After my time living here, I knew I could manage without my parents. I started to fantasize about what would happen if I went back with my baby. I started to fantasize about what would happen if I Would my parents really reject their granddaughter and me? Maybe it could even bring us closer together. Before I had another moment to think about it, the adoptive couple took the baby out of my hands and I could see they instantly fell in love. I was too far to back out
15:08 of it now. Besides, I was so close to getting my life back and I was only 18. Despite everything my heart was trying to tell me, I wasn't ready. I left the hospital and never looked back. I never even found out what they named my newborn. I flew back home about a month later and resumed my life as though nothing had happened. I still think about my daughter though. I can't help it. If only I had been a little smarter or made different choices, I wonder how things would have been different. I remember being so bitter with my parents, who seemed to get rid of me as soon as their reputation was in jeopardy. In the end, I guess you could say I wasn't any different after all. I abandoned my baby on a mission trip so that my parents wouldn't cut me off. That will be something I have to live with for the rest of my life.
