Chapter 1

When I returned from my trip, I saw my daughter's teacher walking out of our villa. Calmly, I sent a message to my husband, Callum Verna. "Send me the code to the front door."

The phone rang immediately, and I heard Callum saying, "Honey, where are you? I'll come pick you up."

I glanced at the swaying silhouette of the young teacher and pretended to stay composed. "I just realized the door code was changed, so I went to the store. I'm just a few steps away now."

Shortly after the call ended, the door opened. Only then did I realize Callum was home. A faint annoyance rose in me.

I had watched as the teacher brought my daughter, Eloise Verna, home. She had unlocked the door, gone inside, and then come out two hours later.

Two whole hours. That was plenty of time for a lot to happen. I hadn't expected to be so patient as to wait, nor did I expect that she could linger in my house for so long.

A kindergarten teacher with a class of more than 20 students—if each student required a two-hour "home visit", she wouldn't have time to do anything else. Or… Was my child receiving some special treatment?

I then rubbed my temples, telling myself I was probably overthinking it. I'd wanted to surprise Eloise, so I went straight to pick her up from school as soon as I landed.

But her teacher had been overly cautious—she hadn't even let me see my daughter. In the end, the teacher herself delivered Eloise back to the villa.

In any case, this showed she was a responsible teacher. I really shouldn't judge her so harshly. With that thought, I let down my guard for the moment and casually returned Callum's loving embrace.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my four-year-old daughter sitting quietly on the floor, playing with her doll. Eloise didn't run to me with the same enthusiasm she used to when she saw me. Instead, she seemed to be examining me, as if I were some stranger who had just barged in.

My heart clenched sharply. What on earth had happened? I quickly took off my heels, freeing my hands to hold her. Only to hear Eloise hesitantly ask, "Are you my mommy?"

I froze. Was that a question she was supposed to be asking?

She had just turned four, and I'd only been away on a two-month business trip. We'd even video-called during that time. How could she possibly not recognize me?

A wave of doubt swept over me. I pressed my lips together, trying to keep my expression soft and approachable. "Sweetie, it's Mommy. How could you not recognize me?"

I tried to find clues from Eloise's reaction, but she just bit her lip, the confusion and uncertainty in her eyes still lingering. I reassured myself that she was just overwhelmed from not seeing me for so long and needed time to adjust.

After calming her down, I glanced around the house. That strange feeling crept over me again. This was clearly my home. So, why did it suddenly feel unfamiliar?

During the two months I was away on my business trip, had someone stepped into my life and changed everything here? Or… Was my memory playing tricks on me?

As I got lost in thought, Callum leaned in, trying to be affectionate. "Honey, why didn't you tell me you were coming back early?"

I subtly shifted to avoid his closeness. "Let's go to the bedroom. I need to talk to you."

I told Martha Henderson, our nanny, to watch Eloise and then headed to the bedroom. Even if I were willing to ignore whether Callum had been up to anything inappropriate, why had he told the kindergarten that our daughter came from a single-parent family?

What was he trying to pull? Was he planning something as extreme as those awful wife-insurance scam cases? It'd be easy to deal with direct challenges, but secret schemes? That was just disgusting.

Callum didn't seem to grasp the seriousness behind my words. The moment we entered the room, he practically pounced on me. "Honey, it's been so long—did you miss me?"

I forced a strained smile. From what I knew about Callum, I could at least be confident that nothing inappropriate had happened between him and the teacher during the two hours she was here.

"Stop joking around. I need to ask you something. Why doesn't Eloise recognize me? What happened in the past two months?"

Callum's face showed a flicker of confusion as he remembered our daughter's earlier behavior. "Maybe it's because she hasn't seen you in so long. She's just feeling a little distant. She'll be fine in a few days!"

I stared at him. "Is that really all it is? But why does everything feel so off in this house? Are you hiding something from me?"

Callum wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You've just come back, honey. You're probably exhausted and imagining things. Come on, get some rest."

I pushed his hand away. "No. I need to get to the bottom of this. If you won't tell me, I'll ask the kindergarten principal myself."

With that, I grabbed my phone and dialed the school. But Callum snatched it from me, panicking as he yelped, "No, you can't!"

My heart sank at his reaction. So, there was indeed something suspicious going on.