Secretary Catches Her Strict Boss Crying, 'It's about My Son,' He Says Trembling — Story of the Day

A secretary falls in love with her married boss and thinks she will never become a part of his life until one day, she catches him crying in his office, trembling as he says, "It's about my son."

It was all wrong, and she should have never done it. Nobody would accept it. Not even her heart said what she was doing was right, but could she help it? No, she could not.

A year ago, Amanda's life was in shambles. She'd given up college to tend to her sick mother, but she couldn't save her despite her best attempts, and somewhere, it all went wrong because her mother wasn't around.

On the funeral morning, when she saw her mother's presence being reduced to nothing but a fresh mound of Earth, Amanda cried for hours and hours, lamenting the loss of the woman who had been her rock.

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Amanda was clever and intelligent, but none of that matters when you don't have the money. So she had to go out and work so that her shady landlord wouldn't push her out of the tiny Manhattan apartment she shared with her mother.

But due to the lack of work experience and a college degree, Amanda spent quite a while wandering the dust-laden Manhattan streets, surviving on $1 coffee and cheap donuts. When that money ran out too, she resorted to odd jobs like dishwashing, waitressing at pubs, delivering mail, and pretty much anything to keep herself afloat.

Then one day, she chanced upon a job advertisement for the position of secretary, and Amanda's life turned around. She applied for the job with no expectations and was invited for an interview.

Amanda donned a crisp off-white shirt and black trousers and wore her mother's old heels. Looking for a dash of confidence, she applied some lipstick she found in her mother's vanity box and booked a taxi to the interview building with the little money she had.

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"Miss Hodges, Candidate 33!"

Amanda hurried over at her name call, straightening her top. When she entered the interview room, her heart stopped beating. Her palms grew icy cold, and she froze in place as she took a seat across from the interviewer.

Wow, Amanda's mind said. A cold-hearted, six-foot-tall, cruelly attractive, strict, but very scholarly man possessed those hazel eyes that Amanda found herself helpless against, and he sat right across from her.

He looked at her resume and asked, "Miss. Hodges, so would you please tell me something about yourself? What motivated you for the role?"

Nothing, Amanda's mind said. It was true. Nothing significant had motivated her. It was her helplessness and low-paying jobs that had 'forced' her to try her luck at the position, and she actually said that as an answer.

"Well, that was a frank answer," he remarked with a smile. "Thank you very much."

Everything started going wrong that very day. Amanda had given countless interviews and was never hired. But Mr. Graham, the owner of the hazel eyes, hired her.

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When Amanda received her job letter, she really couldn't believe it. In a way, she was grateful Mr. Garner hired her when no one else did. But Amanda didn't realize when that gratitude turned into admiration and then into something more potent—love.

Ironically, she knew nothing about his personal life. Nobody did. Some claimed he was a womanizer, while others claimed he was a family man. Amanda didn't care because, in her eyes, he was the definition of perfection. She'd never met anyone like him.

All the previous men in her life were frivolous and irresponsible, and her recent boyfriend had dumped her because he wanted all her attention. "All you care about is your sick mother, Amanda!" he'd said. "She's dying anyway! It's not like your concern will save her. You know what, to hell with you! I'm done!"

After being stuck with a series of disrespectful and egoistic men, Mr. Garner was like a breath of fresh air for her. He was hot-headed and cold, but in a way, he was just… perfect. The one! The one man she was looking for.

"You're doing an excellent job, Amanda. Keep it up!" he said once, looking right into her eyes, and Amanda couldn't help but adore his hazel eyes.

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Amanda's life finally started taking shape after she was hired, and she was deeply grateful to God. Her mother used to take her to church every Sunday since she was a little girl, and the habit of praying to the Lord was instilled in her at a young age.

So, every morning before going to work, Amanda sat with her mother's old Bible and prayed to the Lord, thanking him for everything he'd blessed her with and asking him to keep her mother happy wherever she was.

One day, Amanda and her colleagues received new phones at work. Because they were supposed to use the company phone at work now, she began installing all her necessary apps on it. Being a devout believer, she also installed the app that had become her lifeline in the past several months.

It was where she could write down her prayers and read Bible verses too. It was also an app where like-minded people would share their questions, struggles, and prayers for each other with a sense of devotion to Christ.

Amanda was very religious, after all. God had been her only rock since she lost her dear mother, so she always kept the app on her phone and spent time on it whenever she had a spare minute.

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But one evening, she spotted something weird on the app. When her phone pinged, she instantly checked the notification and was surprised to see it was a public message from a user on the Bible app. It read:

Amanda was confused and didn't know who would write such a prayer. But it had to be someone from the contacts on her work phone, or else she wouldn't have been personally notified.

"Jesus, who is this person?" she asked herself. "I bet they are suffering a lot. I have been here, this lonely, helpless, and desperate, haven't I?"

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Amanda closed her eyes and said a brief prayer for this person to find strength. When she'd lost her mother, she had been equally devastated and lost. Then somehow, God had sent Mr. Garner her way, and things turned around.

Weeks passed. Amanda completely forgot about the message because she was swamped with work. She initially anticipated there would be further messages from the person, and that would probably help her track them down. But she gave up when she didn't see any more messages like the previous one.

It could be anyone, after all. Sitting in her office chair, sometimes she would scan all her colleagues with her eyes, wondering who it could be. If she found out someone was taking a day off, she would politely ask about their family or son.

But nothing had helped her find the answers she was looking for until she stepped into Mr. Garner's office to grab some paperwork for an important meeting and found him on his knees. He was praying, his back facing her.

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"Mr. Garner!" she gasped, her hands held to her mouth in shock. "What's wrong? Are—Are you alright?"

The man turned around at her voice, and Amanda couldn't believe her strict boss, a stern, cold-hearted 37-year-old, was crying.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Should—should I call someone for help?"

He shook her head. "No," he said breathlessly. "No, Amanda… Nobody can help us. It's about my son," he said in a trembling voice. "I'd like to keep this between us, please. Don't tell anyone about it."

Amanda apologized. "I'm sorry," she said. "I should've knocked before coming in. I should probably come later. And yes, rest assured that it will stay between us."

Days later, Amanda started leaving her office late. Mr. Garner always left the office at the end, and she would stay back to make sure he was okay when he left. However, Amanda knew it was not just that.

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The prayer she had heard Mr. Garner recite worried her the most. It was the same prayer she'd discovered in her Bible app. It was the same prayer that sounded desperate and in need of assistance. It was the same prayer that was made by a helpless parent pleading with God for strength during difficult times.

Tears rose into Amanda's eyes as she considered how her world, the one she'd imagined with Mr. Garner as her partner, would crumble if he was married. But an inner voice told her that if the prayer was for his son, she could comfort him.

Wasn't that true love in some ways? Supporting and caring for the man she'd given her heart to? So, although she knew she would probably lose him forever, Amanda decided to help him.

One evening when everyone had left the office, she mustered the courage to confront Mr. Garner. She walked into his office and confessed about the prayer. Amanda noticed he was shocked, and at that very moment, her heart sank.

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He sighed and covered his face with his palms. "Well, it was about my son, yes," he finally admitted. "I had forgotten to log out of my work account, and I believe you noticed."

"I did. Yes," she said. Then she asked, "I know it isn't right to ask about your personal things, but what happened to your son? Is he better now?"

Mr. Garner shook his head. "No," he said, and tears welled up in his eyes. "No, he's not. He has multiple sclerosis, and my wife has abandoned us. She said she didn't want a sick child. My son is still quite young. He needs the love of his mother. And the way my wife left... he saw everything, and it wasn't good."

"We had a huge argument, and she said she didn't want to ruin her life by caring for him. She has decided to focus on her career, and we are going through a divorce. The doctors have said this stress didn't go down well with our son, and he's lost his ability to walk."

"Oh, that's terrible! What—what about hiring a nurse?" Amanda asked. "I'm sure some loving company is what he needs now."

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"I did that. I tried," he admitted. "The nurse can't stay with him all the time. And honestly, nobody can replace a mother."

That really hit Amanda. She had lost her mother and knew what that pain felt like. "I also lost my mum," she confessed. "It was the biggest loss of my life because she was the only one I had in this world. I don't know if it would make any difference, Mr. Garner, but I want to see your son. I know I can't heal him, but I'd like to give it a shot."

"It's not a bother at all," she said. "I really want to do this. I would love to help him out. Please. And I might know how to start!"

Mr. Garner finally relented, and Amanda came up with a picnic plan for that weekend. Surprisingly, Mr. Garner's son, Brian, fell in love with Amanda at first sight. He had never been so happy with anyone. Not even the nurse who looked after him.

"That's strange, considering he doesn't mingle easily," he told her, laughing. "Thank you, Amanda. I really mean it. I think you might actually save my son."

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And she did save Brian. Amanda proposed to quit her job as a secretary to stay by Brian's side and help him. And with her hard work and dedication, Brian could rehabilitate and get back on his feet.

Then one day, Mr. Garner took her and Brian out for dinner and suddenly went down on one knee when the champagne arrived.

"So, Miss. Hodges, would you like us to grow old together and have Brian as a son for the rest of your life?" he asked, pulling a ring from his pocket.

Amanda was stunned and in tears. "Oh god!" she gasped. "I can't believe this! Yes! I will! I will! I love you. In fact, I always have. From the day I saw you!"

What can we learn from this story?

• When God takes something away, he provides something else in return, which is sometimes more valuable. Amanda lost her mother but gained Mr. Garner and Brian as her new family.
• In love, there's a win, even in a loss. Despite knowing she could lose Mr. Garner forever, Amanda decided to confront him about his worries and help him.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who was shocked to find her teen daughter's pictures on her new boss's computer.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.