Who are you?

As if I was reliving my childhood again, the abuse, CPS, and the constant fear of being caught in some trouble that would ruin my life.

In the last twenty years, all I could do was protect myself and work hard enough to get out of that system. But history repeated itself.

And each blow felt like another slice from a fearful sharp knife. But I still stood there, watching the woman walking around the house, looking like she wanted to burn everything alive.

My body was shaking at this point. I was still unable to feel anything properly, just in a daze, wishing to get out of here.

"Everything is clean here. Do you think we got a wrong report?" the cop with her asked quietly. He stood near the hallway, hands resting on his belt, eyes scanning the corners.

The woman looked at me sharply and asked, "Where is your daughter?"

My mouth went dry. I couldn’t say anything. I just pointed toward her room. I knew that once she walked into that room, the next second they would take me to jail.

But I didn’t know what to do either. I was once the most favourite employee of the company where I worked, the woman who owned half of my husband's company, and now suddenly I was the mistress of my husband who cheated on me and an abusive mother?

How cruel could fate be?

I watched the woman walking in. But as soon as she stepped forward, Aurora ran out of the room and rushed straight toward me with her eyes squeezed shut.

She wrapped her arms around my leg tightly and looked at that woman with fearful, trembling eyes. "Mama! Don't go!"

My eyes widened at her sudden outburst. I scooped her into my arms, feeling her tiny fingers cling to my shirt. I looked straight at the woman. "Did you come here before?"

Her eyes sharpened. "No, Ma'am. But certainly, we are here to see—"

"I don't know how CPS works, but as you can see, everything is fine here. She is only three. She is afraid of strangers. Is there anything I can help you with? You can ask me anything."

I wiped Aurora's lips gently, feeling her warm breath on my shoulder. "Ask anything you want."

The woman shifted on her feet. She looked uncomfortable. The cop beside her scanned me carefully, but he didn’t look intimidating; he looked confused. I didn’t even know whether they were from CPS or not. But the timing felt so ironic.

"Well, I would like to check if there is any physical violence," she said, reaching her hand toward Aurora.

I stepped back immediately, my grip tightening on my daughter. "May I check your identity card, please? I am not convinced that you are an employee. Otherwise, I won’t let you touch my daughter. You can understand my motherly concern, right?" I forced myself to smile, the smile I used with rude clients.

She backed up instantly, her eyes widening. A flicker of panic crossed her face before she took a sharp breath and looked at me.

"Of course I can. Wait a minute."

"Sure. Take as much as you want." I walked toward the kitchen, placing myself between them and the stove. I grabbed some leftovers from the fridge, my hands trembling slightly. There was nothing much inside. But they seemed fixated on something else entirely.

"Well, I might have forgotten to bring it—"

"If you don’t have anything to prove the identification, please return when you have one." I gave her a bright smile, except it wasn’t heartwarming but a clear warning. "Otherwise, do you want me to call someone who actually has the ability to investigate my responsibilities?"

I was terrified of being interrogated in this state. But something felt off. And I wasn’t letting my fear become the reason for this kid’s suffering.

"Excuse me, Ma’am," the cop said, stepping closer with slow, heavy steps. "Although we don’t have anything with us to prove it, if you try to act stubborn and tough, you will force us to arrest you for child abuse and inhabitable household." His eyes darkened, and his expression turned suffocatingly intimidating.

My throat tightened. My heartbeat thumped against my ribs. I really didn’t want to go through anything like this. Not like this.

But when I saw this little angel’s face looking up at me, I knew that whatever was messing with my mind, I couldn’t put her in danger. And I certainly wasn’t going to let these cons take her.

"You can’t arrest me just because you are claiming to be a cop." I slowly stepped closer to the kitchen door, my fingers inching toward my phone. "If you don’t want me to call an actual officer to verify your identity, please leave my apartment." My voice shook, but I held my ground.

"Ma’am. We aren’t going to leave until you hand me your daughter and come with us. You are arrested for child endangerment and—"

"Hey. Let's leave!" the woman suddenly grabbed his arm. Her gaze shifted sharply toward the front door.

"What? I am not done yet. I need to—"

He stopped mid-sentence when his eyes met mine. And there it was. Something that an officer shouldn’t have. Hostility.

Before they could leave, the door swung open. Two people walked into the apartment without permission. They stepped inside confidently, standing near the entrance as if they owned the space. Their aura felt wrong. Heavy. Dangerous. Even the cop stiffened and stepped back.

"What’s going on here?" a man in a blue tailor-made suit spoke first. His bright hazel eyes shone under the lights as he scanned the room with a frown.

Aurora hugged me closer, her small fingers curling into my hair. She watched them with the same mix of confusion and fear twisting in my chest.

I took out a few eggs and started boiling them, standing near the counter where I could keep all of them in sight. They stared at the newcomers with dread.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? A cop?" the man in blue asked, raising a brow. He shifted slightly to block the door with his shoulder. "Did she do anything again?" His voice was cold and indifferent.

"Mr. Davidson. We are here… just to…" The cop and the woman exchanged quick, nervous glances. I saw the fear in their eyes.

"They’re from CPS. Except they have failed to provide identification," I said calmly after exhaling sharply. I didn’t know these new people, but I felt a strange sense of protection standing near them.

"Hah. I see." He grabbed his phone and dialed someone. "Hey. I found two people introducing themselves as members of CPS. Can you tell me about their identity? I am sending their pictures—"

Before he could finish, the fake CPS pair shoved him aside and bolted out of the apartment.

"What the?" he hissed sharply.

I felt a ton of weight lifting off my shoulders. Relief washed through me so fast that my knees almost buckled. I held Aurora close.

But before I could breathe, the man standing behind the blue-suited man — taller, broader — walked toward me. His steps were slow and deliberate.

He slapped me right across the face.

"You dare to hide here again?"

"Mama!" Aurora whispered, her voice shaking as she reached for my cheek.

A sharp ringing filled my ears. My jaw stung. I froze, unable to believe I’d been slapped by a man I didn’t even recognize.

I didn’t know how long I stayed still until Aurora’s trembling voice broke through.

"Mama, hurt? Mama?" She touched my cheeks with her tiny hand.

I stared at her, tears spilling. "No, hurt," I whispered, pulling her closer.

A sharp, fiery tone cut through the air.

"It was your last chance, Veronica Davidson."

The aura around him tightened like a chain around my throat. His sharp hazel eyes pierced into mine.

I opened my mouth, closed it, trying to find anything in my memories to recognize them. But nothing came. Just a wave of exhaustion crawling over me.

"Please…" I whispered. "Cut me some slack. What the hell is happening here?" Tears streamed. My chest tightened. Heartache, sadness, and rage all collided inside me.

As if I was going through some sort of cruel joke.

"What is happening here? Who are you all?" I screamed, my head spinning. The emotions I thought I couldn’t feel crashed down all at once.

Liam’s betrayal, The man I loved for eight years.

The life I built. And now, I was inside the body of a woman who was not only a homewrecker but also abusive.

What did I do wrong to deserve all of this?

"Please let me take a breath to understand what the hell is happening to me!" I cried and dropped to my knees. For the first time in my entire life, I didn’t know what to do next.

Who to go to.

Who to ask for help.