1

I was softly reading a bedtime story to Mr. Hayes’s autistic daughter when his long-lost love burst through the door.

Her eyes darted between the two of us, and then she strode forward. Just as I thought she was going to embrace her child, she swung her hand and slapped me hard across the face.

"You shameless bitch," she hissed. "I'm gone for a few years, and you slide right in, sleeping with my husband, stealing my daughter."

"You think because you look a little like me, you can be my replacement? Steal everything that's mine?"

I cupped my stinging cheek, utterly bewildered.

A replacement? Me?

Wasn't I just the occupational therapist Mr. Hayes had hired to care for his autistic daughter?

...

The sharp crack of the slap terrified little Pearl. On the verge of sleep, she let out a piercing wail. My professional instincts took over. I ignored the raving woman in front of me and immediately gathered Pearl into my arms, murmuring soothing words.

Pearl had been diagnosed with autism at birth. She formed no attachments, showed no interest in anyone. The only time she seemed to find any comfort was in my arms. It was why her father, Mr. Hayes, paid me a generous salary to be her full-time therapist and caregiver.

Under my gentle coaxing, Pearl's cries gradually subsided. But the woman, ignored and enraged, lunged forward, trying to rip Pearl from my arms.

"I carried you for nine months! You're my daughter! How could you attach yourself to a cheap substitute? I'm your mother!"

She was hysterical, almost feral. Autistic children are far more sensitive to emotional turmoil than others, and Pearl, who had just calmed down, began to spiral again.

That's when my patience ran out. Even if this woman was Pearl's biological mother, Mr. Hayes's infamous "one that got away," I couldn't tolerate this.

I shielded Pearl from her grasp and pressed the emergency call button in the room. Within moments, the butler and Mr. Hayes himself rushed in.

"Mr. Hayes," I said, my voice firm and loud, "this woman is trying to harm Pearl."

Instinctively paternal, Elias Hayes rushed to his daughter's side, placing himself between us and the intruder. But when he saw the woman's face, his eyes instantly reddened. His voice was a raw, choked whisper. "Seraphina... you're finally back."

His hands trembling, Elias took Pearl from me and held her out to the woman, Seraphina, wanting her to hold their child.

But Seraphina didn't move. She turned her head away, her face a mask of wounded pride. "I don't have a daughter who would betray me like this."

Then she rounded on him. "And you! You told me you would love me and only me for the rest of your life!"

"I've only been gone for six years... and you've already replaced me with another woman. One who looks just like me!"

Elias looked uncertainly from Seraphina to me, then back again. I couldn't see the resemblance, other than the fact that we both had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

"You're still looking at her!" Seraphina shrieked. "If you're choosing her right in front of my face, then I'm leaving!"

With that, she burst into tears and ran for the door.

Elias panicked. He shoved Pearl back into my arms and chased after her. I could hear his desperate explanations from the hallway.

"Seraphina, darling, wait! Kristin is just a nanny I hired to take care of our daughter."

"She's not a replacement, I swear. Now that you're back, we can be a family again. Please?"

"Darling..."

Half an hour later, Elias led Seraphina back into the room. She shot me a triumphant smirk. "You're fired."

Before I could say a word, Elias jumped in. "Honey, I just explained this to you! Our daughter can't be without her."

Seraphina's face crumpled, the tears returning instantly. "Elias, I don't blame you. It was my fault. I was selfish to leave you and the baby to go abroad. I don't blame you for finding a substitute."

"But I'm back now," she sobbed. "Our daughter needs me. And so do you..."

Elias hesitated. He knew Pearl needed me, but he couldn't bear to lose Seraphina again.

He looked at me, his expression torn. "Kristin, why don't you take the rest of the night off? Go home."

I pointed to my still-red cheek. "Your wife slapped me. That counts as a workplace injury."

Elias tapped a few things on his phone. A notification popped up on mine. He had just transferred the deed to a luxury apartment in the city center into my name.

My attitude changed instantly. I handed Pearl back to him and bowed respectfully. "As you wish, sir."

As I left, Seraphina stood with her hands on her hips, puffed up like a victorious rooster. I was too busy dreaming of my new apartment to care. Besides, I hadn't had a proper rest since I'd started working with Pearl.

That night, deep in a dreamless sleep, my phone rang.

2

I groggily assumed it was Mr. Hayes, but when I squinted at the screen, I saw it was my best friend, Amelia.

The moment I answered, a tirade of curses assaulted my ear.

"Elias Hayes's wife is a certifiable lunatic!" she yelled. "She calls me in the middle of the night, says Pearl is having an episode and you're not available, so I have to go over. The second I walk in, she starts bawling about how Elias didn't just find one replacement for her, but two!"

"I go to their house maybe twice a year, and always with you! How the hell did I become a substitute mistress trying to seduce her husband?"

"And we look nothing alike! I asked her why she thought I was a substitute, and you know what she said? She said our names both have 'ia' at the end! Seraphina, Amelia... I..."

I held the phone away from my ear as she unleashed a string of creative insults.

Amelia was a leading expert in autism spectrum disorders. She was the one who had recommended me to Elias in the first place. But unlike me, who came from a humble background, Amelia was an heiress from a family even wealthier than the Hayes.

"Did she forget I was at her wedding?" Amelia continued, her voice still raised. "She seemed normal enough then. What happened?"

"Anyway, I told that crazy bitch where to stick it and left. I just feel so bad for Pearl... When I left, she was just staring into space again. She had made so much progress with you..."

Amelia sighed, then her voice grew serious. "Listen, Kristin. The rumor was always that Seraphina left because she couldn't handle having an autistic child. Elias is going to call you again. But don't be a pushover. You get involved with crazy like that, you'll never get out."

Sure enough, half an hour later, my phone rang again. It was Elias. His voice was frayed with exhaustion. "Kristin, I'll double your salary. Please, come back now. Pearl won't stop crying. I don't know what to do."

Ten thousand a month, doubled to twenty. I gritted my teeth, threw on a coat, and rushed out the door.

When I arrived at the Hayes mansion, however, I didn't hear any crying. Instead, I heard Seraphina's sugary voice. "See, darling? I told you. I'm her mother. Of course she needs me most..."

Then she saw me standing in the doorway. Her voice sharpened. "What are you doing here again?"

"I knew it! You haven't given up! You're still after my husband! But I'm telling you, the original is back, and there's no room for a cheap copy in this house!"

It was three in the morning, and the house was lit up like it was daytime. The entire household staff was lined up in the foyer, bleary-eyed and resentful. After Seraphina's latest outburst, their expressions of weary contempt were impossible to hide. She saw it.

She pointed a trembling finger at the butler. "You! You think she's going to replace me, don't you? That's why you're sucking up to her!"

"You probably told her she was the first woman Elias ever brought home, didn't you? Playing matchmaker for them!"

The butler looked mortified. Everyone knew Elias had a wife and an autistic daughter. Countless female therapists and specialists had been in and out of this house. "First woman"? It was absurd.

Seraphina, getting no reaction, turned her wrath on the head housekeeper. "And you! I bet you told them how you've never seen Mr. Hayes smile so much, didn't you?"

The housekeeper looked equally baffled. The Hayes Corporation was doing well, and Pearl's condition had been improving. Of course Elias was smiling more often.

The staff were trapped, but I wasn't.

"Mr. Hayes," I said, my voice cold. "If you called me here in the middle of the night to watch this circus, then I'm afraid I'm leaving."

Elias rubbed his temples, looking utterly drained. "When I called you, Pearl was having a terrible meltdown. But... Seraphina managed to calm her down. She's asleep now."

"I'm sorry for dragging you out here tonight. Don't worry, I'll pay you three... no, five times your overtime rate."

Seraphina clung to his arm, looking at me with a possessive glare, as if to say, you'll never be me. But when she heard about the five-fold overtime pay, she lost it again. "Elias! That's our money! I don't approve—"

I wasn't listening. All I could hear was that Seraphina had calmed her down, and she was asleep. Pearl had always struggled with sleep. It was impossible for her to fall asleep in just a few minutes.

I shoved past them and ran to Pearl's room. I gently shook her. "Pearl, wake up. Wake up."

The child was completely unresponsive.

Seraphina followed me in, her voice dripping with scorn. "I know this is hard for you, Kristin. You thought you could use my daughter to manipulate my husband. But as you can see, a mother's bond is stronger..."

I shot up from the bed, grabbed her by the wrist, and roared, "What did you give her?"

Startled by my ferocity, she blurted out the truth. "I... I just gave her a few sleeping pills..."

3

My eyes turned bloodshot. "She's not even six years old! You can't give her sleeping pills! I thought you were just crazy, but you're a monster!"

Before Seraphina could reply, I scooped Pearl into my arms and ran for the car. "We need to get her to the hospital, now!"

Seraphina grabbed Elias's arm, her own eyes red with tears. "Darling, I just wanted her to get some sleep..."

This time, Elias didn't even look at her. He started the car and sped away.

We got to the hospital just in time. They pumped her stomach, and she was out of danger, but she would need to be monitored for a few days. Looking at Pearl's pale, small face, the dark circles under Elias's eyes seemed to deepen.

He formally apologized to me and begged me to stay at the hospital with Pearl. "Don't worry," he promised. "I'll talk to Seraphina. The child is innocent. Please don't let our issues affect how you care for her."

He was a man of his word, and another million dollars appeared in my bank account. I was instantly re-energized. "Mr. Hayes, you can count on me. I will treat Pearl as if she were my own daughter."

The next few days at the hospital were surprisingly peaceful. Then Amelia called. "You're not going to believe this. Elias and Seraphina made up. Apparently, he was going to divorce her, but she threatened to kill herself, so he backed down."

"What did she do that was so bad that even a lovesick fool like him was ready to leave?"

I told her about the sleeping pills. Amelia offered another round of colorful curses directed at Seraphina's entire family tree.

"Just be careful," she warned. "I heard the Hayes are throwing a big party for Pearl's sixth birthday. It's supposed to be Seraphina's official re-entry into society as Mrs. Hayes. And she's the one planning it."

I figured a simple therapist wouldn't be invited, so I didn't think much of it. But on the day of the party, Pearl wouldn't let go of my hand. After the hospital stay, she had become even more attached to me.

"Kristin, please join us," Elias said. Seraphina, her hand linked with his, gritted her teeth but, for once, didn't say anything.

The party was in full swing, a sea of clinking glasses and polite conversation. I saw Amelia and went over with Pearl in my arms. "It looks like the divorce threat finally knocked some sense into Seraphina..."

I hadn't even finished my sentence when we were grabbed from behind.

Three men dressed as waiters brandished fruit knives they'd hidden under a table. One arm locked around my neck, the other held a blade to my throat. The same for Amelia.

I was still holding a child.

Fortunately, Pearl didn't seem scared. She just looked around with wide, curious eyes. The sudden violence sent the other guests scattering in panic.

Then, Seraphina's delicate voice cried out, "Darling, save me!"

She had been "kidnapped" too?

Elias moved against the tide of fleeing guests, his voice calm and steady. "What do you want? Money? A car? A helicopter? Just let them go, and I'll give you anything."

The lead kidnapper let out a theatrical cackle. "To think the great Elias Hayes would one day be begging me! But I don't want any of those things. I just want the woman you love most to die."

"You have to choose one of them to live. The other two die."

At his words, Amelia, Elias, and I all frowned. Only Seraphina continued to scream hysterically. "Elias, save me! You promised you would always protect me!"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Wait, if he's after the woman Elias loves most, why am I here?"

"Everyone knows you and Kristin are the substitutes," the kidnapper sneered. "Let's see who our Mr. Hayes will choose. The original, or one of the copies? This is going to be so exciting!"

Hearing the familiar "substitute" theory, we all instinctively looked at Seraphina. Who else would come up with something so insane?

"Elias," she whimpered, "you don't believe him, do you?"

Before Elias could answer, the kidnapper dragged the knife across my cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. "No talking! Choose, Mr. Hayes!"

The blade moved to Amelia's face. "Choose, or this pretty face gets ruined too."

Amelia roared a string of curses at Elias, then threatened, "Elias Hayes, if anything happens to me or Kristin, I will personally see to it that your family goes bankrupt."

Pearl, sensing the rising tension, started to wail. Seraphina was still crying, "Elias, save me!"

"Everyone shut up!" the kidnapper yelled. "You have five seconds, Hayes."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Wait!" Elias yelled. "I choose..."