I’ve always felt the child that I’ve cared for the past three years was not mine.

My mother-in-law told me I was overthinking and was just tired.

However, I remember it clearly. My child had a birthmark on their left arm.  

Even my husband said it was nothing more than a dream I had after passing out during labor.  

Still, I began to suspect that my in-laws swapped my child at birth.

It was the middle of the night, and I was scrolling through social media.

Suddenly, I came across a post from Claudia Taylor, the widow who lived next door. She had posted at 10 PM, with the caption:

[A family of three.]

The picture showed three hands stacked together—two adults' hands and one small child's hand.

I frowned in confusion.

Hadn’t Claudia's husband passed away long ago?

For the past three years, she'd been living across the street with just her little boy.

Still, I gave the post a like.

Barely two minutes later, the post disappeared. Claudia had deleted it.

The next morning, after preparing breakfast for my family, I hurried to take Mia Hart, my daughter, to preschool.

As soon as I stepped out the door, I ran into Claudia and her son, Finn Taylor.

“Claudia, taking Finn to school, too?” I greeted her warmly.

She looked startled, as if she hadn’t expected to see me, but quickly forced a smile. "Yeah. And you're taking Mia, I see?"

Her gaze lingered on Mia.

I glanced down at her son, Finn. For some reason, whenever I saw the boy, I felt an odd sense of affection toward him.

It was weird that he was always dressed in messy, worn-out clothes, especially since Claudia herself always looked pristine.

What kind of mother would spend more time on her appearance than her child’s well-being?

I held my tongue, though.

“If only Finn and Mia went to the same preschool. They could keep each other company,” I said gently, looking down at Finn.

Finn noticed me watching him and offered a shy smile. His face was so thin, yet so sweet and polite. It made me feel a wave of pity.

Even though he was the same age as Mia, he seemed so much smaller.

“I don’t want him at my school! He doesn’t deserve to go there!” Mia whined loudly.

Shocked, I turned to look at her. She pouted and even rolled her eyes at Finn.

“What do you mean, Mia? That’s not how we treat other kids. You need to be kind to everyone!”

I said sternly, as I turned her to face me. My serious tone must have startled her, because her eyes filled with tears.

She glanced over at Claudia, whose face shifted with a hint of worry.

I tugged Mia to Finn. “Apologize to Finn right now!”

“Oh, no, no, it’s fine,” Claudia said quickly, stepping in. “Mia’s right. Finn doesn’t belong in a fancy preschool like hers.”

Her words made me frown. What kind of mother would say something like that about her own child?

Finn, standing beside her, seemed unfazed. It was like he was used to hearing such things. However, the sadness in his eyes was unmistakable.

I wasn’t about to let it slide. “Mia, did you hear me? Say sorry to Finn!”

Instead of apologizing, Mia wrenched her hand out of mine and bolted down the street. I tried to grab her, but she was too quick.

“I’m sorry, Finn. I’ll apologize on Mia’s behalf,” I said, crouching down and gently patting his head.

Finn blinked at me before lowering his head and mumbling, “It’s okay, Auntie. I’m not mad.”

“Oh, don’t worry about him! You should go find Mia before she runs too far,” Claudia interrupted, fidgeting nervously as her eyes darted down the street. She seemed more concerned about Mia than Finn.

“She won’t get far. Her dad’s outside.”

At that, Claudia visibly relaxed.

Oddly so. Why was she so worried about my kid while brushing off her own?

---

At lunch, after I’d picked Mia up, she was still sulking.

“You’re still upset?” I teased her. “You ran off earlier and didn’t even apologize to Finn.”

Her little face scrunched up in a pout. “Daddy said Finn isn’t good enough to play with me!”

The table fell silent.

My husband, Daniel Hart, gave me a sheepish look.

“What on earth have you been teaching her?” I looked at him and snapped.

Though she was just a child and didn’t know better, Daniel was an adult. How could he say such a thing?

“Okay, okay, let’s just eat. Do we have to argue about this now?”

My mother-in-law, Marissa Cohen, chimed in from across the table, rolling her eyes. “Kids pick up on things, you know. Maybe she overheard something and repeated it. Why make a fuss?

“Instead of worrying about that, maybe you should focus on what I told you. Get your parents’ inheritance transferred to Mia. You don’t want your family’s money falling into the wrong hands.”

This wasn’t the first time Marissa had brought this up.

I placed a small piece of chicken on Mia’s plate. “Mom, why are you bringing this up again? Mia’s still young; there’s no rush. Everything we have will belong to her, anyway.”

Marissa had always preferred boys. However, ever since Mia was born, she’d stopped talking about having a grandson entirely.

“A girl needs something to fall back on,” Marissa muttered with clear disapproval.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Of course, I appreciated her care for Mia, but her sudden change in attitude always felt a bit off.

“Mom, come on. Do you think I’d ever shortchange Mia? She’s my daughter.”

I meant it as a light joke, but Marissa’s face turned sour instantly.

Sensing the tension, Daniel jumped in to defuse the situation. “All right, Mom, we’ll handle it ourselves. Don’t worry about it.”

“Honey, Mia’s got rice on her chin. Go ahead and wipe her up.”

I grabbed a napkin and wiped Mia’s face like I’d done countless times.

Marissa’s attitude didn’t bother me. She was just an old woman stuck in her ways. Why waste my energy arguing with her?

“Hey, Daniel, don’t you think Mia looks nothing like me?” I said, looking at Mia.

Mia had darker skin, single eyelids, and thin lips. Meanwhile, Daniel and I both had double eyelids and fairer complexions.

For some reason, Claudia’s face popped into my mind.

“She looks more like Claudia than me, don’t you think?” I said absentmindedly.

Then I heard the clatter of a bowl hitting the floor.

I turned to find that Daniel had knocked over a dish.

“Seriously? Can’t you be more careful?” I scolded, noticing rice scattered all over the floor. “Now poor Mrs. Bailey is going to have to clean this up.”

Before I could finish, Marissa slammed her chopsticks on the table.

“You’re impossible! Can’t we have one meal without you ruining it?

“I’ve had enough. You’ve got me so worked up that I can’t even eat!”

I sat there, stunned, as she stormed off. It was as if an evil spirit had possessed her.

Daniel placed some food into my bowl. “Honey, you’ve had a long day. Don’t overthink things. Just eat, okay?”

However, as I watched his hand move, I thought of Claudia’s post again.

Funny enough, the hands really did look alike.

…

The tension in the house had been unbearable ever since I joked about Mia looking like Claudia.

Marissa gave me glares every chance she got, and the air was so thick with an awkwardness that I dreaded coming home.

So, one evening after work, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood instead of heading straight back.

“Sniffle… sniffle…”

As I neared home, I spotted a little figure huddled in the corner behind the dumpster.

“Finn? What are you doing here all by yourself?”

If he hadn’t been crying, I might not have even noticed him.

“Where’s your mom?” I glanced around, but the street was empty.

Finn looked up at me, his tear-streaked face smudged with dirt.

When he saw it was me, he quickly tried to wipe his tears with his dirty little hands, only smearing the grime further.

“Auntie…” he whimpered softly.

My heart melted. How could there be such a sweet child?

“Why are you here by yourself, Finn? Come on, I’ll take you home. Aren’t you scared of being out here all alone?” I crouched down and spoke gently.

Finn hesitated, his eyes filling with fear.

“I don’t want to go home. Mommy will hit me,” he choked out, his voice trembling.

My gaze shifted to his arm, and I gasped.

Peeking out from his sleeve was a fresh wound, still bleeding.

“This… Did your mom do this to you?” I asked, unable to believe it. What kind of parent would hurt their child like that?

Finn nodded quietly. “Mommy says if Finn is bad, Finn gets punished.”

I quickly took him to the nearest pharmacy and bought some solution to clean his wound.

The clerk’s jaw dropped as I rolled up Finn’s sleeves. “Oh my God. Who could do this to a kid?”

I couldn’t agree more. The higher I rolled his sleeves, the more injuries I found. Some were fresh, and some were old. It seemed this was a daily occurrence.

“Does it hurt, Finn?” I asked softly, trying to be as gentle as possible.

The little boy was sitting still like an angel. When he heard me, he softly replied, “It doesn’t hurt, Auntie.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if Claudia was taking out all her grief from losing her husband on this poor child.

I resolved to talk to her when I got home, no matter how awkward it might be.

However, in the next second, I froze in shock.

…

There, on his arm, was a faint but unmistakable birthmark.