I know I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. But when I woke up, she’d been swapped with a baby with a cleft palate. Dan, my husband, says I’m so upset I must be hallucinating. Tyler, my son, also claims his sister has a cleft palate and that I’m imagining things. But I happened to discover that Dan’s old flame, Sophie, had been born with a cleft palate herself. I suspect they swapped my baby girl. “She’s here! A baby girl! Look how precious she is—Mom, do you want to hold her?” Though weak and exhausted, I gazed lovingly at the tiny, rosy face of my daughter as the nurse, Lorna, handed her to me. Her little nose scrunched up—adorable as could be. Gently, I kissed her forehead before drifting off to sleep, finally at peace. When I woke, Tyler was leaning over the cradle, playing with the baby. I was a bit surprised, considering how he’d complained about having a new sibling. “Mom, you’re finally up. She’s hungry. You better feed her.” His tone was bossy, and I frowned slightly. Tyler picked up the baby and plopped her into my arms, catching me off guard. “Aah!” I couldn’t stop the cry that escaped as I stared down at her face. She looked darker, wrinkly, and, worst of all, her upper lip and nose were connected by a gap—a cleft. Startled, she began to cry, the cleft stretching wider as she wailed. “What’s wrong with you? You scared her!” Tyler shot me a disgusted look. “This isn’t your sister.” My voice came out louder than I’d expected. I was sure, completely sure, that my daughter had been healthy—not this baby with a cleft palate. “I didn’t think you could be so heartless,” Tyler said, his tone filled with disdain. “Just because she’s not perfect, you’re going to reject her? What kind of mother does that?” “Besides, with all the money you have, it’s only a matter of time to fix her cleft, so why be so cruel? No matter what, she’s your child.” Money wasn’t the issue; this just wasn’t my child. “How did I end up with a mom like you? You’re nothing like Aunt Sophie. I wish she were my mom instead.” Each word of his struck me cold. I stared at him, my mind racing as a thought chilled my heart—Sophie had been born with a cleft palate. I remembered seeing old photos from when she’d had it corrected. “I don’t know who taught you to say all this, but I’ll ask you once: Where is your real sister?” “What are you talking about? This is her.” Tyler’s eyes darted nervously, avoiding my gaze. Since he was five, Tyler had begged to have Aunt Sophie around, constantly looking for reasons to find fault with me. His attitude only slightly improved when I got pregnant with Ella. As I looked at his face, it struck me like a slap that he might know something about all this. I let go of the crying baby in my arms and struggled to get out of bed. “Where are you going?” “Well, since you won’t tell me, I’ll go find out myself.” “You can’t!” I didn’t have time to listen to him. Just then, Tyler charged toward me like a bullet and shoved me backward. I hit the floor, pain piercing through me. As I clutched my abdomen, a wave of fury rose within. “I already told you! She’s your real sister. Stop making this harder than it needs to be!” Whack— I slapped him, firm and sharp. “Don’t call me ‘Mom’ anymore. I’m done with you.”
While he stood there stunned, I slapped him again—twice, hard. “I just had a baby, and you’re trying to break me, just so Sophie can be your new mom?” Tyler’s eyes brimmed with tears as he stared at me in shock, then balled his little fists and took a swing at me. I shoved him back; after all, he’d already pushed me to the ground. His loud, tearful cry cut through my head. Nurse Lorna entered, instructing us to quiet down. Then, in came Dan and Sophie. Dan quickly apologized to the nurse and consoled Tyler. “Mom hit me! She pushed me and won’t even feed my sister!” Sophie, who had been watching with an indifferent look, suddenly spoke up. “Katherine, no matter what, you shouldn’t hit the boy. A real mother always puts her kids first—you’re just not a good mother.” Looking self-righteous, Sophie scooped up the crying baby. “I’m not saying this to be mean, but you can’t just leave a newborn hungry.” I ignored Sophie as she tried to place the baby in my arms, turning instead to Dan. “What’s she doing here? Didn’t you promise to cut contact?” Before Dan could answer, Sophie interjected. “I came here on my own. I know I was wrong in the past, and I wanted to apologize, maybe even start fresh and be friends.” “Come on, Kate, just feed the baby.” Remembering Sophie’s past meddling and Tyler’s constant complaints, I didn’t trust her in the slightest. Especially now. She had only been out of our lives a few months, and suddenly, my healthy child was a baby with a cleft palate—just like Sophie had once been. Coincidence? Not a chance. “If you’re so eager, then you feed her because she’s not my daughter. Nurse, can you check the security footage?” I turned to Nurse Lorna. “Kate, please stop. I know it’s hard to accept, but this is just how it is. Our daughter has a cleft palate.” Dan held my arm and nodded at the nurse, as if to signal I was unwell. “My wife’s just having trouble accepting it. Thanks for understanding.” Dan’s resistance only cemented my suspicions. They’d swapped my baby. But was she even safe?
“Kate, these days, cleft palates are easy to fix. Our little girl’s still going to grow up to be a beautiful princess, everyone’s darling.” “Look, I know you’re hurt having a baby with a cleft palate, but she’s still your daughter. Accepting it and treating her now will make all the difference, and money’s not a problem for us.” Dan thought he had it all worked out: using my money to fix his child and turn my son against me, draining me dry. “This isn’t my baby. If you want her treated, then pay for it yourself.” Dan’s face twisted as he struggled to hold back. Then he looked at me knowingly. “So, you’re upset I came here with Sophie?” “Kate, I had no idea she’d be here. We just ran into each other. Sophie, it’s better if you go. You know Kate will get jealous.” Dan tried his old sweet-talking tricks, and the sight of him made me sick. Sophie opened her mouth to speak, but Dan’s glare silenced her. She went, sulking.
“No need. Sophie isn’t the child’s real mother, so she can stay right where she is.” Sophie’s shoulders stiffened, her back to me. Dan chuckled and ran his hand over my head, patting it as if I were a child. “Katherine, there’s nothing going on between me and Sophie. You really don’t need to keep testing me like this.” “Is it that you weren’t there when I was giving birth that’s making you feel so insecure? I was at work when I got the call, and I rushed over as soon as I could.” “Oh yeah, Kate,” Sophie chimed in smoothly, “there’s really nothing between me and Dan. And anyway, my family doesn’t even have a history of cleft palates. I heard it’s genetic, right? And Dan’s family doesn’t have any history of it either.” As Sophie spoke, her shoulders visibly relaxed, her words dropping hints that maybe the cleft palate came from my side of the family. She was convincing, really putting on a show. If I hadn’t seen that old photo of her with the cleft surgery scar, I might have believed her. I snorted, not bothering to say whether I believed her or not. For now, my daughter was still missing, and I’d wait until the police arrived before settling this. Meanwhile, Tyler, ever the loyal son, defended his father. “Dad, it’s because you’ve spoiled her too much, letting her act out. Once my sister is older, she won’t put up with this behavior either.”
“Tyler.” I rarely used his full name, and he froze, suddenly tense. “I didn’t say anything wrong, right, Aunt Sophie?” He stammered before hiding behind Sophie’s arms. I took a deep breath. After everything I’d done for Tyler—dropping work to nurse him through fevers, learning to cook his favorite foods, carefully picking out his birthday gifts year after year, doing everything he asked of me. “Tyler, I’ll ask you one last time. Is that your real sister in the crib?” “Kate—” “Shut up, Dan. I wasn’t talking to you.” I cut him off, my voice sharp. Tyler shrank back into Sophie’s arms, avoiding my eyes. “Mom, stop making a fuss—” I shut my eyes, not willing to hear any more.
“Katherine, so what if she has a cleft palate? You can’t just deny her, right?” Sophie’s voice was loud, ensuring that others nearby would hear. Disapproving glances cast our way made the sting worse. I glanced at Dan, who finally shot Sophie a scolding look. “Sophie, that’s enough. Kate’s under a lot of stress. She didn’t mean what she said, so stop making it worse.” Dan’s words looked like he was defending me, but in truth, he’d cast me as a woman rejecting her child over a minor imperfection. In this story of ours, Dan played the “good husband” perfectly, except he kept digging me deeper into the pit. Using my money, blaming me—it was a charmed life for him and Sophie, wasn’t it? My phone buzzed with a message. I checked, scrolling through various photos of the two of them meeting up. Disgust churned in my gut. For the first time, I felt the deep betrayal in every photo. I’d been too busy with work to see what was right in front of me. But now? I’d make sure they paid.
When Officer Greg Harper arrived, I was lost in thought, wondering when exactly Tyler had changed. Tyler used to be that sweet kid who would rub my shoulders when I came home late. When had he grown so resentful of me? “Who reported this? We need to get a sense of the situation.” The officer’s question left Dan, Sophie, and Tyler visibly tense. “I did,” I answered. “I believe my baby daughter was swapped at birth. She was healthy, but now she has a cleft palate.” “Kate, why would you call the cops?” Dan blurted, forcing a sheepish smile as he turned to the officer. “I’m sorry for wasting your time, Officer,” he said, “but my wife’s been under a lot of stress. She’s having trouble accepting that our baby has a cleft palate.” “Cleft palates are genetic, Officer. There’s no history of it in my family going back three generations, but Dan’s ‘friend’ Sophie here—she had surgery to correct hers. I have proof.” “I’m sorry to have dragged you here based on just a suspicion,” I told the officer. “But I’m genuinely worried about my daughter’s safety and have no idea where she is or how she’s being treated.” My words were steady, contrasting with Dan’s attempts to paint me as hysterical. “What do you mean by that? You’ve had someone investigate me?” Sophie cried out as Dan tried to hush her, giving Tyler a nudge. “Mom, you can’t just pry into people’s privacy,” Tyler said, giving me a disapproving glare. “That’s illegal, isn’t it?” Officer Harper watched our tense exchange and finally said dryly, “Funny, the three of you look more like a family than any of you with her.” “Officer, I have records on my phone of the hotel stays between Dan and Sophie.” Dan lost his composure. “Kate, what are you doing? Trying to tear apart Tyler’s family just because you’re upset?” “Did I make you cheat, Dan? Did I spike your drink and shove you into bed with Sophie?” I knew exactly what Dan was trying to do: make me explode with anger so he could point to me as “unstable” and “unhinged.” “What gives you the right to break our family apart? You did this, Dan. You’re the one who tore this family to pieces.” “Kate, come on, no need to be this way. I’ve never done anything to betray you. If you’re this upset, I’m fine with pretending this child isn’t ours.” Incredibly, Dan kept a straight face, still denying his involvement with Sophie. Thinking it over, I spoke aloud. “Sometimes I’m amazed by your shamelessness, Dan. Living off my earnings while you support your mistress with my money. You couldn’t even keep this baby swap story straight.” Dan’s face flushed with anger, though he forced himself to stay calm. “Coward.” Dan pretended not to hear the insult. “Officer, if my wife suspects this isn’t our baby, why don’t we just ask Nurse Lorna? A cleft palate like that would certainly stand out.”
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