Chapter 4

Over the next fourteen years, Brenda dutifully took care of Toby's every need.

She wanted to do absolutely everything for him.

Meanwhile, my "son" Lucas was sent away to a run-down farm in the Midwest just a few days after his fever broke. I heard his life there was miserable.

Whenever Richard occasionally brought him up, Brenda would wave her hand in disgust. "Lucas isn't cut out for school anyway. Unlike Toby, he's only good for farm work."

And then she would launch into complaints about her abusive ex-husband and how hard her life was.

Eventually, Richard stopped asking.

The next time we saw Lucas was at Toby's high school graduation party.

Toby had graduated at the top of his class, got accepted into Harvard, and was awarded a massive scholarship.

I had thrown a lavish, high-profile celebration at a luxury hotel to celebrate his achievement.

But Brenda, who had taken a few days off, chose this exact day to show up.

Behind her stood a trembling teenage boy. He was sun-baked, emaciated, and cringed at every sound.

Brenda walked up to me and handed me a printed DNA report. "Mrs. Vance, I took Lucas to the clinic recently. I noticed his blood type didn't make sense, so I did a DNA test. It turns out... he isn't my son."

"The hospital made a mistake eighteen years ago. Lucas is your biological son. Toby is mine."

"No wonder I always loved Toby so much! It was the call of the blood."

"Now that we know the truth, we should swap them back, don't you think?"

Brenda rubbed her hands together anxiously, but her eyes locked onto Toby with a look of intense, greedy affection.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, playing the part of a long-suffering, emotional mother perfectly.

The news was like a bomb dropping on the banquet hall. The guests instantly erupted into whispers.

"How could a hospital make a mistake like that? Is there more to this story?"

"This is hilarious. The Vances raised her son to be a Harvard scholar with a full ride, and now she comes to claim him? Talk about hitting the jackpot!"

"Exactly! Toby is so well-bred, smart, and a talented pianist. That's all thanks to Eleanor's parenting."

...

On one hand, you had an Ivy League-bound scholar, a decorated pianist with a bright future.

On the other hand, you had an uneducated, illiterate kid from a farm who trembled constantly and had to wear adult diapers.

Anyone with a brain knew who to choose.

"Sure. Let's swap them back," I said, a slight smile playing on my lips.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Even Brenda stared at me in disbelief.

She never expected me to agree so easily.

Richard immediately rushed to my side. "Eleanor! Do you even hear yourself?"

"You're going to hand Toby over to her based on some random piece of paper she brought in?"

"What if this is fake? She hasn't even done a test with Toby yet!"

Toby looked at me, his eyes wide with hurt. "Mom... I'm your son!"

"No, you're not. I watched you get swapped in the nursery. Toby and I share no biological connection."

I shook my head, pulling out my own copy of a DNA report.

Richard's face turned incredibly pale. He shook his head violently, refusing to accept it. "But you always said Toby was your entire world! You almost died giving birth to him! You begged the doctors to save him over you!"

"How could you just stand there and watch your own baby get swapped?"

"You're just angry, right? You're saying this to hurt me, aren't you?"

He looked at me with begging eyes, desperate for the answer he wanted to hear.

Under the weight of everyone's stares, I shook my head firmly. "No. I saw the swap happen with my own eyes."

The moment the words left my mouth, a loud slap echoed through the room.

Richard’s face twisted with rage, a face that slowly merged with the one in my memories. Instead of getting angry, I laughed. "What? Are you panicked now?"

"Are you insane? You watched your own son get swapped and said nothing?"

"What kind of mother does that? She's laughing! She must be a psychopath!"

Even Lucas looked at me. He ran over and grabbed my arms. "Why? Why did you do this to me? If you didn't love me, why did you give birth to me?"

He shook my shoulders frantically, but I shoved him away with cold disgust. "Get away from me. You make me sick."

He fell hard onto the floor.

I took a deep breath, my smile growing wider.

Finally. The day I had been waiting for had arrived.