Chapter 1

My mother-in-law, Margaret Walker, secretly swapped my daughter with her own younger daughter.

Why?

Because she was unwilling to let her late-in-life baby suffer any hardships.

And my husband, Jonathan Walker, turned a blind eye to it all.

But I quietly switched the children back without telling anyone.

My daughter, Amelia Harper, was lovingly raised as if she were a treasure, while Margaret’s daughter, Natalie Walker, endured abuse and eventually ran away from home.

Years later, Margaret was diagnosed with cancer.

She handed Amelia a DNA test, pleading for her to fulfill her duties as a daughter.

I glanced at my smug husband and smiled coldly, “Fine. If we’re correcting mistakes, then let’s switch back. I’ll return your daughter, and you return mine.”

...

Margaret’s cancer diagnosis came while Amelia and I were out shopping.

Jonathan called me frantically, over and over, like his mother was about to die that very second. When I arrived home, the living room was packed with nosy neighbors, their looks ranging from pity to schadenfreude as they turned their attention to me.

Not long after, Margaret produced the DNA test results and handed them to me. “Daughter-in-law, years ago when Natalie was sick, I took her to the hospital. That’s when I found out she wasn’t my biological daughter. Amelia is!”

“The hospital must have switched them at birth! I wanted to keep this secret forever, but now… now I’m dying. I don’t have much time left.”

“If Amelia could just call me ‘Mom’ once, I’d have no regrets.”

Margaret threw herself onto Amelia, crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.

The older neighbors in the room started wiping their own tears.

“Come on, she’s right here! Don’t talk about dying; it’s not good luck!”

“Yeah! Medicine is so advanced these days. You’ve got plenty of good days ahead!”

“Just look at Amelia! Such a bright young woman—a college student! You’re so fortunate!”

...

The crowd buzzed with their attempts to console her, but Amelia turned to me, her eyes full of questions she couldn’t voice.

I smirked coldly and ripped the DNA test results into pieces right in front of everyone.

Daughter becomes granddaughter, sister becomes daughter, brother becomes father.

This mess?

Anyone with a shred of decency wouldn’t have done it.

But Jonathan’s family not only did it, they acted like it was their God-given right.

Jonathan shot to his feet, furious.

“Charlotte Harper! What’s the meaning of this? The children must be switched back. This is my mother’s dying wish. If you don’t agree, we’re getting a divorce!”

Jonathan’s ultimatum was sharp, as if he couldn’t wait to see me crumble under the pressure.

Two children: one a gorgeous, talented college student, the other emaciated, long gone, and missing.

Anyone would collapse under the weight of such a decision, especially someone who’s only ever had one daughter their entire life.

The neighbors’ pitying gazes landed on me again, but their lips stayed sealed out of a misguided respect for ‘the dying’.

When I still didn’t agree to switch the children, Margaret started her theatrics again.

She wailed and screamed, worked herself into a frenzy, and then, for good measure, dramatically spat up blood.

“My daughter! My poor daughter!” she cried.

The cries of grief, the tears… they filled the room.

Jonathan’s heart broke for his mother.

He turned to me, furious. “Charlotte! Are you really trying to kill my mom? Are you satisfied now?”

I raised Amelia with blood, sweat, and tears, and you think you can just take her with a few words? The audacity.

I looked at my smug husband and said, “Fine. If we’re correcting mistakes, then let’s switch back. I’ll return your daughter, and you return mine.”

Chapter 2

Margaret and Jonathan froze, their faces pale.

Silence blanketed the room.

Everyone knew the truth.

Natalie had run away three years ago over something as simple as eating a piece of barbecue pork. Margaret had beaten her with a thick stick, chasing her down the stairs while shouting:

“You little pig! That pork was for your niece! How dare you eat it? You’re supposed to set an example as the elder. Today, I’m going to beat you to death!”

Margaret’s blows were vicious.

If it weren’t for the neighbors intervening, Natalie might have actually died that day.

It was the middle of winter, and Natalie was dressed in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt.

Her body was covered in scars from sticks, cigarette burns, and even a large patch of scalding burns on her face.

Finally reaching her limit, Natalie had snapped and fought back for the first time in her life.

“You hate me so much! You should’ve never had me in the first place. Then I wouldn’t be in your way! If Dad knew what you’ve done to his daughter, he’d probably strangle you himself!”

She’d never understood why Margaret, who had loved her father so deeply, could treat her, his daughter, so cruelly.

Margaret, enraged, had screamed at Natalie to get out, and Natalie, defiant, had left—never to return.

...

Margaret clutched Amelia protectively, looking guilty.

“I don’t know where she is… You’re her mother. You find her.”

Jonathan lit a cigarette, a smirk on his face as he inhaled deeply.

“Charlotte, don’t make this harder on Mom. She did everything she could for Natalie. She tried to teach her right, but Natalie’s just bad to the core.”

“Good thing Mom pulled her out of school early, who knows how many boys she would’ve seduced if she stayed? Let me be clear, even if she comes back, I’m not acknowledging her.”

His words dripped with malice, and his smug expression made my blood boil.

For years, whenever Jonathan lost face and had to grovel before me, he’d vent his anger on Natalie.

I thought I’d grown numb to his true nature, but today, my rage surged anew.

I couldn’t bear to think about what might’ve happened if I hadn’t switched the girls back.

Would Amelia have suffered the same fate?

Would she have been fortunate enough to meet someone kind, or would she have died before finding help?

The thought chilled me.

These two were monsters.

I closed my eyes, drew a charging cable from my bag, and brandished it toward Amelia.

“You abused my daughter knowing the truth. Now it’s your turn to suffer. Whatever Natalie endured, Amelia will endure twice over!”

My expression twisted with grief and fury, embodying a mother heartbroken by betrayal. Margaret and Jonathan were stunned.

They’d anticipated anger, even tears, but they hadn’t expected me to lash out.

Amelia shrieked, “Grandma, help! Mom… she’s lost it!”

Margaret reacted instantly, shielding Amelia with her body.

The cable struck Margaret, leaving a thin, bleeding welt across her face.

“Son! Son, help me! Your wife’s gone mad!” she cried.

I kicked Jonathan aside and lunged for Amelia, but Margaret clung to her daughter fiercely.

At that moment, she truly looked like a mother protecting her child.

“Charlotte! Take it out on me! You’re the idiot who couldn’t tell her own daughter apart! But I’m not like you. I won’t let you hurt Amelia!” she shouted.

I dragged Margaret by her hair, pinning her against the balcony.

“Oh, I’m stupid, huh? But you’re so clever. You knew the truth and still tortured my daughter. Today, I’ll avenge her.”

Chapter 3

Unlike Margaret’s indignation, Jonathan gave me a pleading smile.

“Honey, I know you’re mad at me. Go ahead, take it out on me. I won’t move.”

He leaned his face toward me, and I felt a chill crawl down my spine.

When Amelia was born, his resentment toward my independence led him to tacitly approve Margaret’s swap of the two girls.

Now, with Margaret nearing the end, was that resentment still simmering?

I didn’t know.

But I was certain he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, lurking and waiting for the right moment.

After all, my premarital assets were no small sum.

Amelia looked confused by Jonathan’s behavior.

I met her gaze and said, “Men like him don’t give up until they hit rock bottom.”

And as someone who raised her, I excelled at inflicting pain without spilling blood.

When Natalie’s plane landed, Margaret dressed her best to meet her at the airport.

She was practically bursting with excitement to see Natalie.

But the tearful mother-daughter reunion she envisioned didn’t happen.

Natalie’s gaze was icy, and she didn’t say a word.

Margaret broke into tears.

“Natalie, I didn’t know you were my real daughter! It was her! She swapped you behind my back! I just wanted to give you a better life!”

That’s right, a better life.

Margaret and I had been pregnant at the same time, and Jonathan bore the financial burden of supporting two households.

The difference in the two children’s clothing and bedding was stark.

I used my own money to give my daughter the best, while Margaret, already past her prime, struggled to keep up.

Unwilling to accept this disparity, she threw tantrums, cried, and threatened Jonathan until he demanded I help support her.

Of course, I refused, and Jonathan, feeling slighted, slapped me hard.

Even then, I stood my ground.

Margaret must have resolved to hate me from that moment on, eventually leading to the swap.

Jonathan finally chimed in.

“Natalie, no matter what Mom did, her intentions were good! She just wanted you to have a better life. That’s why she swapped you.”

Margaret and Jonathan bombarded Natalie with excuses, trying to justify their actions.

After a long silence, Natalie finally spoke.

She looked Margaret in the eye, her voice cold.

“And my intentions were to call you ‘Mom’ too. But look at the scars on my hands and face. Did it hurt back then?”

She pointed to Margaret’s burn scars.

“That’s from saving Amelia, isn’t it? I hate you. I will never forgive you.”

Margaret’s heart shattered.

She scrambled to prove her love for Natalie, presenting hand-sewn insoles and knitted scarves she had made late into the night.

Margaret cried, pleaded, and even knelt, begging for forgiveness.

A crowd gathered, drawn by the commotion.

As usual, the onlookers sided with Margaret.

“How can you be so heartless, young lady? Parents make mistakes, but there’s no hatred a parent can’t make up for!”

“Exactly! Your mom only wanted what was best for you. She’s already apologized. Why not let it go?”

“Just go home with your mom. Every family has their ups and downs.”

Natalie’s eyes reddened, and she looked like she was about to break.

“You still want to use others to pressure me? Let me tell you, I don’t have a mother!” she shouted.

The crowd’s murmurs grew louder, and Margaret and Jonathan scrambled to explain.

But the more they spoke, the more the crowd criticized Natalie.

Natalie sneered and grabbed my hand.

“This is my mom. When you kicked me out, she took me in,” she said firmly.

Margaret’s face twisted in disbelief.

“You… you… you recognize her as your mom? How could you?! I’m your real mother!”

“Didn’t you force me to call her ‘Mom’ back then? Well, now I do, and I’ve got a good life because of it. Aren’t you happy?”

I shook my head slightly, silently impressed.

Natalie’s way of delivering poetic justice was sharper than mine.