Afterward, Natalia bought a pile of imported toys for Nathan.
There were countless similar incidents.
For example, two years ago, Nathan had frequent nightmares that wouldn’t go away. Natalia scoured for remedies, even climbing mountains to consult a Buddhist monk. But when it came to her own son, who had a 40-degree fever, she didn’t even spare him a glance.
She brushed it off, saying, “A fever is just a sign he’ll grow taller.”
Of course, everyone knew the real reason behind her attitude. In the end, it was the neighbors who took Casimir to the hospital.
When someone criticized her, Natalia didn’t care. "Casimir has a wretched life, and whatever happens to him is just his fate."
The next morning, Natalia showed up again.
In the freezing cold of December, she left Casimir at the doorstep.
She sternly instructed everyone not to pity him. Then, she cozied up inside our warm house.
From downstairs, I watched Casimir curl up into a ball by the door, like a small, pitiful animal.
In the end, I couldn’t bear it. I had the housekeeper secretly bring him a blanket, making sure to retrieve it before Natalia left.
Natalia knew my house well. After all, she was the daughter of my family’s former maid. We grew up together. When her mother passed away, I didn’t mind supporting her.
So, without a job, her daily pastime became visiting Nathan.
In the kitchen, my mom was cooking soup.
Natalia leaned over, sweetly calling her “Auntie,” poking her head around to peek.
"Your cooking is amazing! I might just start calling you Mom."
I couldn’t help but snort at her flattery.
My mom, ever stoic, treated Natalia with cold indifference. But Natalia pretended not to notice and continued showering her with affection as if my mom were her own mother.
During lunch, Natalia finally let Casimir come inside. But she wouldn’t let him sit at the table.
Instead, she made him stand with a bowl in his hands, forbidding him from touching the dishes.
"Today’s food is all Nathan’s favorites. You eat less," Natalia said, glancing at Casimir dismissively.
I frowned. "Kids need to eat some meat."
Natalia shrugged. "Who said he can’t eat? Look—"
She pointed to the floor, where a piece of meat Nathan had dropped lay.
"Go ahead, pick it up if you want it," she ordered.
At her command, Casimir quickly snatched the meat and stuffed it into his mouth.
After swallowing, he even licked his fingers, savoring the taste.
Natalia smirked strangely. "Keep your eyes wide open. Whatever falls is yours."
After lunch, Natalia headed to a beauty salon.
My mom and I sat in the living room, watching TV.
Out of nowhere, my mom said coldly,
"When are you planning to send that thing back?"
The “thing” she referred to was Nathan. I told my mom about the baby swap later on. Because of this, her attitude toward Natalia became even frostier.
I smiled faintly. "No rush."
Suddenly, my phone buzzed.
In the parents’ group chat, the teacher announced an upcoming parent-teacher meeting. I didn’t feel like attending, so I passed it off to Natalia.
She agreed in seconds.
Once that was settled, I didn’t give it another thought.
Who would’ve guessed what happened next?
As I later heard from someone else, during the meeting, Nathan was inevitably criticized.
Natalia, furious, stormed up to the teacher to argue.
"Nathan just got a question wrong! He didn’t commit a crime! How dare you scold him?"
The teacher, rubbing her temples, tried to explain,
"I wasn’t scolding him. I was simply discussing Nathan’s performance with you—"
Natalia cut her off, hands on her hips, nearly jabbing her finger into the teacher’s face.
"Don’t give me that! You call yourself a teacher? Watch out, or I’ll report you!" she snarled.
In the end, the teacher gave up, throwing up her hands in surrender.
Natalia proudly declared victory. She had fought for Nathan and won.
