“You were on your business trip when it was time to enroll her, so I took care of all the paperwork. Don’t you trust your own husband?” Liam pressed, eager to demonstrate his devotion to our daughter.
I couldn’t find any obvious holes in his story, so I decided to drop it. For now. The next day, I insisted on going with Liam to pick Mia up.
I also wanted to make sure her teacher corrected our family information.
The street outside the preschool was a parade of luxury cars; it was impossible to tell who was truly important.
Just as Liam stepped away to take a call, Mia’s teacher appeared, holding our daughter’s hand.
I already knew her name. Sophia Bennett, a recent college graduate. She had a soft, oval face, delicate features, and lips that were naturally red. Dressed in a simple frock, she possessed an effortless charm that was undeniably potent.
I took a second look. Even I had to admit, if Liam wasn’t drawn to her, his taste was seriously questionable. Sophia clearly recognized our car and walked straight toward it.
But when she saw my long legs emerge from the passenger seat, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her gaze darted from me to Liam, then to the car. Her words tumbled out in a rush. “What are you doing getting out of Mr. Harper’s car?”
I studied her, my suspicion spiking. Wasn’t that reaction a little extreme? I answered slowly, drawing out each word. “I’m getting out of my husband’s car. Is there a problem?”
The color drained from Sophia’s face.
“Mommy, you’re here!” Mia cried, breaking free and starting to run toward me, but Sophia yanked her back.
Sophia’s grip tightened on Mia’s arm. “Mia, what have I told you about trusting strangers?”
“But Teacher Sophia, that is my mommy…” Mia whined, tugging against her teacher’s hand.
Sophia held Mia close, her eyes scanning me with intense scrutiny. “Mia, you can’t let bad people fool you. This woman could be a trafficker, pretending to be your mom to snatch you away. You can’t just believe her because she says she’s your mother.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. I glared at Sophia. “What on earth are you talking about? I am Mia’s mother! I came here today with my husband. Do you still not believe me?”
Sophia didn’t flinch. “I’m sorry, but you will not get near Mia until I have confirmed your identity.”
“Our preschool keeps detailed records of every child’s family. If I believed every woman who tried to get close to Mr. Harper by claiming to be Mia’s mother, this child would have been kidnapped a dozen times by now!”
