Lily shook her head.
“I don’t know… she just said I’m not allowed.”
That night, I barely slept.
Something wasn’t just strange.
It was wrong.
A few days later, I left work early and drove to Mrs. Harper’s house without telling anyone—not her, not Daniel, not even fully admitting to myself why I was going.
When I arrived, I saw a little girl playing alone in the yard.
The moment I saw her, my heart stopped.
She looked exactly like Lily.
Not a little.
Not in that vague way kids sometimes resemble each other.
Exactly.
Same eyes.
Same nose.
Same face.
Even the same expression when she turned her head.
For one dizzying second, it felt like I was looking at my daughter split into two.
I stood frozen beside my car, unable to breathe.
One thought cut through me like ice:
Who is that child… and why does she have my daughter’s face?
—
I waited until Mrs. Harper came to the gate.
When she saw me, her expression changed—not surprise.
Fear.
