"Julie, I saw this gorgeous dress while I was out shopping just now, and I bought it for you. I think you'll love it. Come try it on!"Sophie Sanders chirped the moment she stepped through our front door. She knew the password to our door, so as always, she was free to enter as she pleased, and like every single day for the past decade or so, she was here to see my daughter, Julie Williams. For the past 18 years, Sophie had sent her daughter to my house under the pretense of being too busy with work to care for her own child.Sophie's busy work schedule, however, did not seem to stop her from visiting Julie every evening. If anything, she spent more time with my daughter every day than her own, so much so that even my husband, Andrew, could not help but remark, "If I didn't know better, I'd think Julie is Sophie's child instead of the other way round."I watched as Sophie helped Julie put on the dress she had bought, then made her twirl in circles as she crooned, "You're absolut
Sophie had slapped Emma so hard that her entire head snapped to one side, but Emma's expression was unfazed. It was as if she was already used to such mistreatment. Julie watched in silence for a few moments before clapping in delight. "You're strong, Aunt Sophie!"Julie's approval seemed to please Sophie very much, because she cocked her arm back and slapped Emma a second time. Julie clapped even harder, but all of a sudden, she clutched her chest and said in short gasps, "Aunt Sophie, help me! My heart hurts… Help me!" Sophie quickly called out to me, "Claire, where's the medicine? What are you standing there for? Get the medicine!"Before I could even reply, Sophie sprinted across the room, located the first-aid kit and found Julie's heart medicine. She poured a glass of water and slipped the pill down Julie's throat so swiftly as if she had done this a thousand times. Julie's breathing began to ease, and I let out a sigh of relief.Emma seemed momentarily stunned by the en
The next day, Sophie came by with Julie's gift as promised. However, Emma was nowhere in sight.I could not resist but asked, "Where's Emma?"Sophie looked revulsed to hear her own daughter's name. "Why did you have to bring her up? She disgusts me. Well, I punished her by making her stand out on the balcony in the cold last night, and guess what? She fell sick. Can you believe it?"I could not believe it. It was close to zero degrees outside, and with the few scraps of clothing Emma usually wore, it was no wonder she had fallen sick.Sophie rolled her eyes at the concern on my face. "No need to feel sorry for her. I'm just training her to be more resilient. She needs to toughen up, otherwise she won't even stand a chance in this cruel world! Besides, she'll take care of herself. She needs to wake up for work later, anyway."My eyes widened in shock. "Work?"Sophie seemed pleased with herself when she explained, "Yes, work! I found her a job washing dishes in a restaurant, and at
I did not hear Julie's reply, but it was a no-brainer. Who would not want a healthy heart in place of their diseased one?Besides, it would not be the first time that two of them conspired against me. I did not mind it one bit, because I had a better surprise waiting in store. Whenever Julie's birthday rolled around, Sophie would be even better prepared than me. I did not even need to do anything because Sophie would have everything covered for Julie's birthday party. That year was arguably the most important one because it was Julie's 18th birthday—the year that marked her transition into adulthood. Needless to say, Sophie had gone all out. She oversaw everything, from the cake to the party decorations, and had even taken to cooking all of the party food herself. In order to perfect every recipe, she tried and experimented countless times, just to get every morsel of food down to perfection. That was rather excessive to me. I could not help but mock Sophie for it, joking that n
All of a sudden, everyone received a text message on their phone which made the color drain from their faces. They ran out of the house in terror, leaving me alone at the table.As cool as a cucumber, I took out my phone to call the police."Sir, I would like to report a case of child trafficking. My daughter is about to have her heart removed and transplanted into another person's body."Meanwhile, Emma was being restrained in a small, inconspicuous-looking clinic. With her hands and feet bound, she could not move even an inch. She watched in despair as the doctor injected her with anesthetic. Every inch of her visible skin was covered in bruises and cuts, all inflicted by her wicked 'mother'.The surgeon was about to begin, when all of a sudden, a group of policemen stormed into the room."Put your hands where I can see them! You are being arrested on a charge of child trafficking and illegal human organ trading!"The color drained from Sophie's face. She tried to stop the poli
Upon arrival at the police station, I was stationed in a room with a camera pointing at my face. I revealed the truth. "Eighteen years ago, I watched a nurse take my daughter away from me, but when she returned, it was not the same child I had given birth to. She had switched out my daughter with my former best friend, Sophie's. When I tried to get my child back, I heard something that devastated me."I heard Sophie say that she had bribed the nurse into switching our two children because she wanted to torment my child. She wanted to see my daughter and I in pain everyday because it brought her joy to hurt me."The policemen fell silent. Even the people watching the livestream online seemed to be in shock as a few minutes had passed without any response.After a few minutes, the comments appeared on the screen. [Goodness, that's the most evil thing i've ever heard!][Sophie looks like she wouldn't hurt a fly. Who would've thought she could be so vicious?][Aren't they best fri
"Mad? Of course not! It's her own fault for not realizing it sooner! I don't blame you, darling. Once Julie turns eighteen, we'll reclaim her, and I'll divorce that stupid hag. We can do this for the rest of our lives!""Stop teasing me, Andrew!"Andrew was beyond infuriated. I could see a vein popping in his forehead and knew that he was close to snapping.Despite his anger, he said calmly, "This video must be fake. You probably generated it using artificial intelligence! I would never have betrayed you!"He tried to take my hand and said, "You have to trust me, darling. You know me. I would never cheat on you! Someone's out to get me! Someone's trying to sabotage us because they're jealous of our marriage! Tell me who sent you this video, darling, and I'll get him!"I gazed at him. I could see the panic in his eyes, and the longer I stared at him, the more guilty his expression became. Finally, he lowered his head and did not dare to even meet my eyes. Sophie sneered. "You idi
Upon arrival at the police station, I was stationed in a room with a camera pointing at my face. I revealed the truth. "Eighteen years ago, I watched a nurse take my daughter away from me, but when she returned, it was not the same child I had given birth to. She had switched out my daughter with my former best friend, Sophie's. When I tried to get my child back, I heard something that devastated me."I heard Sophie say that she had bribed the nurse into switching our two children because she wanted to torment my child. She wanted to see my daughter and I in pain everyday because it brought her joy to hurt me."The policemen fell silent. Even the people watching the livestream online seemed to be in shock as a few minutes had passed without any response.After a few minutes, the comments appeared on the screen. [Goodness, that's the most evil thing i've ever heard!][Sophie looks like she wouldn't hurt a fly. Who would've thought she could be so vicious?][Aren't they best fri
All of a sudden, everyone received a text message on their phone which made the color drain from their faces. They ran out of the house in terror, leaving me alone at the table.As cool as a cucumber, I took out my phone to call the police."Sir, I would like to report a case of child trafficking. My daughter is about to have her heart removed and transplanted into another person's body."Meanwhile, Emma was being restrained in a small, inconspicuous-looking clinic. With her hands and feet bound, she could not move even an inch. She watched in despair as the doctor injected her with anesthetic. Every inch of her visible skin was covered in bruises and cuts, all inflicted by her wicked 'mother'.The surgeon was about to begin, when all of a sudden, a group of policemen stormed into the room."Put your hands where I can see them! You are being arrested on a charge of child trafficking and illegal human organ trading!"The color drained from Sophie's face. She tried to stop the poli
I did not hear Julie's reply, but it was a no-brainer. Who would not want a healthy heart in place of their diseased one?Besides, it would not be the first time that two of them conspired against me. I did not mind it one bit, because I had a better surprise waiting in store. Whenever Julie's birthday rolled around, Sophie would be even better prepared than me. I did not even need to do anything because Sophie would have everything covered for Julie's birthday party. That year was arguably the most important one because it was Julie's 18th birthday—the year that marked her transition into adulthood. Needless to say, Sophie had gone all out. She oversaw everything, from the cake to the party decorations, and had even taken to cooking all of the party food herself. In order to perfect every recipe, she tried and experimented countless times, just to get every morsel of food down to perfection. That was rather excessive to me. I could not help but mock Sophie for it, joking that n
The next day, Sophie came by with Julie's gift as promised. However, Emma was nowhere in sight.I could not resist but asked, "Where's Emma?"Sophie looked revulsed to hear her own daughter's name. "Why did you have to bring her up? She disgusts me. Well, I punished her by making her stand out on the balcony in the cold last night, and guess what? She fell sick. Can you believe it?"I could not believe it. It was close to zero degrees outside, and with the few scraps of clothing Emma usually wore, it was no wonder she had fallen sick.Sophie rolled her eyes at the concern on my face. "No need to feel sorry for her. I'm just training her to be more resilient. She needs to toughen up, otherwise she won't even stand a chance in this cruel world! Besides, she'll take care of herself. She needs to wake up for work later, anyway."My eyes widened in shock. "Work?"Sophie seemed pleased with herself when she explained, "Yes, work! I found her a job washing dishes in a restaurant, and at
Sophie had slapped Emma so hard that her entire head snapped to one side, but Emma's expression was unfazed. It was as if she was already used to such mistreatment. Julie watched in silence for a few moments before clapping in delight. "You're strong, Aunt Sophie!"Julie's approval seemed to please Sophie very much, because she cocked her arm back and slapped Emma a second time. Julie clapped even harder, but all of a sudden, she clutched her chest and said in short gasps, "Aunt Sophie, help me! My heart hurts… Help me!" Sophie quickly called out to me, "Claire, where's the medicine? What are you standing there for? Get the medicine!"Before I could even reply, Sophie sprinted across the room, located the first-aid kit and found Julie's heart medicine. She poured a glass of water and slipped the pill down Julie's throat so swiftly as if she had done this a thousand times. Julie's breathing began to ease, and I let out a sigh of relief.Emma seemed momentarily stunned by the en
"Julie, I saw this gorgeous dress while I was out shopping just now, and I bought it for you. I think you'll love it. Come try it on!"Sophie Sanders chirped the moment she stepped through our front door. She knew the password to our door, so as always, she was free to enter as she pleased, and like every single day for the past decade or so, she was here to see my daughter, Julie Williams. For the past 18 years, Sophie had sent her daughter to my house under the pretense of being too busy with work to care for her own child.Sophie's busy work schedule, however, did not seem to stop her from visiting Julie every evening. If anything, she spent more time with my daughter every day than her own, so much so that even my husband, Andrew, could not help but remark, "If I didn't know better, I'd think Julie is Sophie's child instead of the other way round."I watched as Sophie helped Julie put on the dress she had bought, then made her twirl in circles as she crooned, "You're absolut