My Sister Gave Up Her Adopted Daughter When She Became Pregnant with Her ‘Real’ Child — but She Didn’t Expect Who Knocked on Her Door

I’m Megan, 32, a freelance designer in Portland. My sister Claire had longed for a child for years — IVF after IVF, heartbreak after heartbreak — until she adopted 3-year-old Sophie. Sophie instantly called me “Auntie,” and from that moment, she felt like family.

Six months later, Claire got pregnant. But at the celebration dinner, Sophie’s toys were gone. Claire had “given her back,” calling her adopted daughter not her real child. The adoption agency stepped in — Claire had broken the law.

I fought for Sophie, navigating months of paperwork and home visits. Finally, she became mine — legally, forever.

Now, Sophie is four and a half, happy, loved, and thriving. Claire had her biological baby, but the agency barred her from adopting again. Sophie was never second best. She was meant to stay — and she did.