Chapter 2

My mom was startled and instinctively held me closer. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

My dad shot up from the couch. "What's going on?"

Fiona's smile stiffened for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "Mr. Sherman, it's a routine check. The baby probably woke up because of the voices."

My dad glanced at me, crying uncontrollably, then looked at Fiona. "Does this screening really have to be done right now?"

"It's hospital policy..."

"My daughter isn't feeling well. Can we do it tomorrow during the day?"

Fiona's mouth tightened for a moment.

"And," my dad said as he walked to the door and peeked down the hallway, "you're not the nurse on duty tonight, are you?"

The atmosphere froze for a couple of seconds.

Fiona stammered, "I-I'm filling in for a colleague. She had something urgent come up."

My dad didn't say a word, his gaze growing cold. "Could you ask your supervisor to handle it tomorrow? Tonight really isn't a good time."

Fiona opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something more. But my dad had already settled next to my mom, resting one hand on her shoulder and the other soothing my back.

His body language said it all: it was time for Fiona to go.

Fiona's gaze lingered on me for a few seconds.

Through my tear-blurred vision, I could clearly see the icy chill in her eyes.

Then she turned and wheeled the empty cart out of the room.

I stopped crying and curled up in my mom's warm arms.

My mom softly patted my back, humming a lullaby that didn't quite have a tune.

My dad stayed by the bed, quietly watching us.

*****

Early the next morning, sunlight streamed through the hospital room curtains.

I was nestled in my mom's arms, but I barely slept all night. Still, I acted sweet and quiet, like a little angel, making things easy for my mom.

The first thing my mom did when she woke up was look down at me.

She was overjoyed to see me already staring up at her. "Honey, look. She's been looking at me this whole time."

My dad leaned in and reached out to touch me.

But I instantly scrunched up my face, my lips quivering, and my eyes started to well up.

My dad's hand hovered awkwardly in the air before he sheepishly pulled it back. "Alright, I won't touch you. I'll only look."

My mom couldn't help but laugh. "This little girl is my little tail. Nobody else gets to touch her."

Exactly. I wanted everyone to know: I belonged to my mom only. Nobody was taking me from her, ever.

When the doctors did their morning rounds, the main doctor showed up with several staff members.

They checked me from head to toe and made sure everything looked good.

The newborn screening was set up for daytime, done by the head nurse herself, all by the book.

My dad watched the whole thing like a hawk, never stepping away for a second.

I could tell the look in his eyes wasn't the same as last night.

Last night, it was more of an instinctive caution. But today, he was deliberately keeping an eye on everything.

After the doctors finished their rounds, my dad said he was going to grab breakfast and stepped out into the hallway to make a phone call.

He kept his voice low, but cradled in my mom's arms with my ears perked up, I caught every word.

My dad said, "I need you to look into someone. Fiona Green. A nurse at this hospital. Also, pull up the security footage from the OB-GYN hallway on the third floor last night. I want to see it."

Good. My dad wasn't stupid after all. Anyone who built his empire in security tech had a sixth sense for trouble. He was already digging.

At two in the afternoon, an unexpected visitor turned up at our hospital room.

She was a woman in her early thirties, dressed in a pink hospital gown, with a round face and a warm, friendly smile.

She poked her head in at the door and gently knocked on the doorframe. "Hi, Mrs. Sherman, I'm from room 206 next door. I had a baby girl yesterday, too.

"We gave birth on the same day. Guess we're fated to meet. I thought I'd stop by and check in on you."

My mom was still in her postpartum recovery, so she was glad to have someone drop by for a chat. "Come on in and have a seat."

I recognized the woman immediately. She was Fiona's cousin, Mira Stone, mother of the imposter heiress, Joy Stone.

In my previous life, she was the one who planted her daughter in the Sherman family and robbed me of everything that should've been mine.