Switched at Birth

"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 absolutely gorgeous, Julie! The most stunning little girl I've ever seen! Your godmother loves you, Julie, and don't you ever forget that!"

Lurking in a corner of the room, watching quietly, was a child the same age as Julie but could not be more different in terms of general appearance. She was gaunt and scrawny, bordering on malnourished, and was dressed in loose, baggy clothes—Julie's hand-me-downs.

That girl was my real daughter, my biological daughter. The child Sophie had stolen from me and passed off as her own. Her name was Emma Sanders.

Sophie and I had gone into labor on the exact same day 18 years ago, and shortly after giving birth, Sophie turned to me and exclaimed, "We're best friends, and from today onward, we'll be the godmothers of each other's children!"

Julie's first word was not 'mama' or 'dada', but an infantile enunciation of Sophie's name. From the very first day they laid eyes on each other, the two were inseparable.

At that exact moment, Sophie's attention was entirely on Julie, and she did not cast Emma so much as a second glance.

"Our darling Julie did so well during her exams this time around! If only Emma could be half as smart as you! I'm going to buy you a gift as a reward for all your hard work, Julie! What do you want?"

Julie was toying with the pendant necklace dangling from Sophie's neck. Upon hearing that, she pointed at Emma and said, "I want to spend a day with Emma."

Sophie frowned so hard upon hearing her response that for a moment, I thought her face would get stuck that way.

The next moment, she grabbed hold of Emma and snarled, "This hideous witch? Why would you want to be associated with her? She's revolting and as dumb as a doorknob! Why do you want to spend time with her?"

Turning to Emma, she hissed, "You're an utter disgrace! You humiliate me! If you were even the slightest bit like Julie… If only Julie was my daughter instead!"

Emma's head was lowered, and she did not dare to meet her mother's eyes.

Infuriated, Sophie slapped her across the cheek and roared, "You're an utter waste of space!"