"Honey, that old hag doesn't suspect anything, does she?"
Toby kissed Mildred on the cheek, his tone dripping with mockery. "Relax. That woman is dumb as a rock. Easiest mark I've ever seen. I asked for three hundred grand, and she transferred five hundred thousand, practically falling over herself to make sure we took it. I've never met anyone so pathetically desperate. Flash her a little warmth and she'd crawl on her knees to hand over every last cent to me and Clara."
Mildred threw her head back, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. "See? I told you swapping out her little brat was the smartest thing we ever did. My only regret is that I didn't hit the gas hard enough to send her straight to the grave."
"It's not too late. Next week is Clara's birthday. Once she transfers the hotel shares to Clara, I'll play the video in front of everyone — the one showing her cheating with multiple men. Force her into a divorce, make her walk away with nothing. Everything the Matthews family owns becomes ours."
After another round of laughter, Clara covered her eyes with her small hands in an exaggerated show. "Daddy and Mommy are kissing! Clara can't see a thing!"
The two leaned over their daughter and kissed, long and lingering.
I stared straight ahead, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel, inch by inch.
Easiest mark.
Pathetically desperate.
Hit the gas.
Swapped out her child.
A metallic taste surged up my throat. I forced it back down.
Half an hour later, the happy family of three hauled several large suitcases out the door, chatting and laughing as they loaded into the car.
I sat in place for ten minutes. My brain hummed. Everything went blank.
Then my assistant's call jolted me awake.
"Ms. Matthews, I found her. The person you asked me to look for."
My whole body went rigid. I could barely believe what I was hearing.
It took a long time before I found my voice again, and even then it shook. "Where?"
From the city to the town where she was — over five hundred miles. I didn't stop once.
When I stepped out of the car, my legs trembled so badly I nearly collapsed. My assistant caught my arm.
"Ms. Matthews, take it easy. She's right here, in this children's home."
Beyond the rust-eaten iron fence, I saw her almost instantly — a girl curled in the corner of a muddy pit, nothing but skin and bones.
Her eyes looked exactly like mine.
Even the small red birthmark at the corner of her left eye was identical to my own.
The new year had just passed, and the bitter cold still gripped the town, but the girl wore only a set of old thermal underwear so filthy its original color was impossible to guess. The clothes didn't fit. Her wrists and ankles jutted out far beyond the cuffs. On her feet, a pair of sandals with her toes poking out the front, grotesquely out of place in the dead of winter.
My eyes burned. The director of the home hurried over, choosing her words carefully.
"Ms. Matthews, this child — Jianmei — she has a difficult background. She's somewhat withdrawn. Five years old and still can't speak. Are you sure you want to take her?"
I turned my head slowly. My voice was hollow with disbelief. "Jianmei?"
The director nodded and sighed. "The woman who brought her in said her mother was a bar girl who slept with anyone who'd have her. Said she gave birth to this child — father unknown — then caught some disease and died. That's why the girl's called Jianmei. 'Cheap little sister.' The woman also left specific instructions..."
She paused, her voice dropping. "She told us the girl's life was worthless. Said not to bother feeding her well or keeping her warm. If she got sick, don't treat her. And if she died, she had it coming."
"What was that woman's name?"
"I'm not sure, but the man who came with her — a Mr. Simmons — called her something like 'Xinxin.' Mr. Simmons handled all the paperwork himself."
I stood rooted to the ground. My skull hummed. My stomach clenched.
I couldn't hold it back anymore. I stumbled to the corner and doubled over, retching violently, but my empty stomach produced nothing except a pool of yellow bile.
My assistant rubbed my back, staring at my face, which had gone white as paper.
"Ms. Matthews, are you all right?"
I shook my head. I straightened up and looked at the girl in the corner, her gaze vacant and lost.
"There's one more thing I need to do."
