Diana Evans raised her son Adam alone. Although she struggled, she worked very hard to feed him and pay for his education. After graduating from high school, he decided to attend a university halfway across the country.

Although Diana was sad, she happily sent Adam off to study and live in New York while she remained in California. They would keep in touch during his first few years there, and he would call his mother whenever he had time.

Diana never got to visit Adam in New York throughout his years in college. Their primary mode of communication was through phone calls, and although these started to lessen as time passed, Diana still appreciated them very much.

When Adam was set to graduate from university, he called his mom to invite her over. "Hey, mom!" he said on the phone.

"Hi Adam, it's so great to hear from you! How have you been?" she said excitedly.

"I'm good, mom! I'm calling because I'm finally graduating in two weeks. Will you be able to come over?" he asked.

Hearing that, Diana was so proud and could feel her tears coming. She'd do anything to see her precious son march to get his diploma. "Of course, Adam. I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it! I'm so proud of you!" She smiled.

After ending the call, Diana proceeded to look for flights to New York. She was surprised to see how expensive the flights were, and she immediately realized she didn't have enough money to purchase a round-trip ticket and a special graduation gift for Adam.

She decided to take in some extra work as a babysitter to earn money. She babysat for long hours to earn her money faster. When she had enough savings, she excitedly purchased her ticket and went to the department store to buy Adam a gift.

Diana circled the store for a couple of minutes before settling with a watch. She realized that any professional needed a nice and decent watch, so she wanted to give one to her son.

"Please wrap it nicely with a ribbon," she told the saleslady. "It's a graduation gift for my son. He's graduating from a top university in New York!" she gushed.

"That's awesome! You must be so proud. Congratulations!" the saleslady said, packing the watch.

A couple of days later, Diana excitedly made her way to New York. Adam picked her up from the airport, and together they drove to his campus, where the graduation ceremony would start shortly.

Diana excitedly pulled out her cellphone and started to snap pictures. When it was Adam's turn to receive his diploma, she couldn't help but stand and cheer her heart out. "That's my son!" she exclaimed.

After the ceremony, Adam met Diana and enveloped her in a hug. "Oh, son, congratulations!" she said as they embraced.

"Thanks, mom. This is all because of you," he smiled. "Let's have a good dinner now," he said, walking with his mom towards the university exit.

Adam and Diana ate at a fancy New York steak restaurant and had a nice dinner together. At first, Diana was worried about the bill, until Adam told her not to. "I took a part-time job while studying, mom. This is my treat to you. Thank you for taking care of me all these years," he said, squeezing her hand.

Diana was in tears. She was so grateful that Adam grew up to be such a kind gentleman. "I'm proud of you, son," she said. "I got you something, too. It's nothing great, but I hope you like it."

She took out the gift box and handed it to Adam. "You really didn't have to get me anything, mom," he said as he opened it.

When he saw that it was a watch, he was surprised. "This is beautiful, mom. Thank you," he said with a big smile on his face. "I'm going to wear this to work every day. That way, I'll always have you with me."

That night, the mother and son spent the night talking to one another, taking photos, and simply enjoying New York's sights.

After a couple more days in New York, Diana had to fly back to California. "Will you be visiting home soon, Adam?" she asked, suddenly remembering that she was back to living alone.

"I'll try, mom. I do have some job interviews lined up, so I'm not sure when I'll get to. I promise to call, though," he assured her. With that, Diana nodded contently.

Unfortunately, that promise was short-lived. Adam used to call his mom every other day, but that slowly diminished until the calls just stopped coming.

During one of their final calls, Diana showed signs of depression caused by her loneliness. "I've lost a lot of weight, and I don't really have an appetite," she would share.

"You should eat, mom. Go out and talk to your neighbors and take walks in the park," Adam said, shrugging off the signs she'd share.

For years, Adam would check on his mother once in a while but he was busy working in Wall Street and maintaining his relationship with his model girlfriend that these calls became too few.

One day, he decided to put up his own firm in New York. For that, he needed documents from California which he couldn't ask his mom to simply mail. So at the last minute, he took a flight back home and traveled to their house without telling his mom. But when he got there, he was not expecting what he saw.

Their house was torn down and filled with cobwebs. The fences were on the floor, and the grass lawn looked as if it hadn't been trimmed in years. He looked inside and saw the house empty save for some ruined furniture.