Chapter 1
I was picking up my daughter from kindergarten when a little boy suddenly ran over and hugged me. “Mommy! How come you’re picking me up today?” he asked. “Are you free today?” I looked at the unfamiliar boy in confusion and said, “Little guy, you must be mistaken. I’m not your mom. I’m here to pick up my daughter, Mia.” However, the teacher and other parents were all adamant that this boy was my son. Even my husband said we only had one child, which was a son, not a daughter. I refused to believe this, so I got a paternity test. The results revealed that the boy was truly my biological son. Yet, deep down, I knew I only had a daughter. Everyone thought I had lost my mind. It was not until eighteen years later that I found a Barbie doll hidden under the bed. —— “Babe, I have to go to an urgent meeting, so could you take our son to kindergarten today?” my husband, Jerry Hollman, asked as he quickly packed his briefcase. I shot a cold glance at Henry Hollman, who was eating breakfast at the table and then I said, “He’s not my son. I only have a daughter and her name is Mia, Mia Hollman.” I had talked to everyone around me, even visited all the places that conduct paternity tests, but every answer concluded that Henry was my son. Yet, I still kept to my belief that I only had a daughter. Seeing how headstrong I was, Jerry let out a helpless sigh. “Wife, how long are you going to keep this up?” “Henry is your biological son that you carried for ten months and almost died giving birth to him because of a difficult birth,” he said. “You used to love him more than your own life. Why are you suddenly rejecting him now?” Jerry asked in confusion. That was right. When I was in the tenth month of pregnancy, my belly was so big that I could barely breathe. My legs were so swollen I couldn’t fit them into any shoes. The day I gave birth, the labor was difficult and I nearly died because of heavy blood loss, but I remembered vividly that the one I brought into this world with my life was my precious daughter! This strange boy in front of me, I did not recognize him at all. Before I could say anything, Henry nervously turned to Jerry. “Dad, don’t be harsh to Mom,” he said. “I must’ve done something wrong to upset her. That’s why she’s punishing me like this.” Then he walked over to me and held my hand, then he said gently, “Mom, I promise I’ll do everything you say. Please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?” Henry tried so hard to hold back his tears, which were ready to spill. He looked so heartbroken. However, I did not feel a bit sorry at all. Rather, I coldly pulled my hand away and said firmly, “Don’t call me Mom. You’re a stranger to me.” My coldness froze the hopeful smile on his face and the tears that he had been holding back poured out continuously. Seeing him like that, Jimmy was heartbroken. He hugged and comforted him until kindergarten. As soon as they left, my parents rushed over. “Sophia, why was Henry crying so hard? Did you say something mindlessly again that hurt him?” “You’ve asked around, investigated and done multiple paternity tests. How can you still believe he’s not your son?” they asked. “Henry is our only grandson and we’ve watched him grow up since he was a baby. How could we possibly be mistaken? What could he have done to deserve this from you?” As my dad spoke, he threw a photo album onto the table. Since my parents were old, they worried that one day a bad thing would happen suddenly to them.