Chapter 1

On April Fool's Day, our family went out for a trip. As we walked, I suddenly realized our daughter had disappeared.

I frantically called the police. The moment the officers arrived and I began explaining the situation, my mother-in-law Catherine contradicted me.

"Didn't you send Lily to your parents' house? She didn't come on this trip with us. Why are you calling the police?"

The police looked stunned for a moment, then their expressions turned serious.

"Ma'am, what's really going on here? Filing a false police report is a crime!"

Sweat poured down my face as I hurriedly explained.

"Lily came with us. Catherine is just making an April Fool's joke. Don't listen to her!"

The officer nodded and was about to start searching when Catherine interjected again.

"Officer, you don't know this, but Emma has mental issues. She's filed false reports several times before."

I trembled with rage, wanting nothing more than to slap duct tape over her mouth.

Catherine loved April Fool's Day more than anything. Every year on this day, she'd throw the entire household into chaos.

Before leaving home, I'd warned her repeatedly not to cause any trouble, but I never expected her old habits to resurface at a time like this.

Thinking of Lily, whose whereabouts were still unknown, I desperately shoved Catherine.

"What time do you think it is? You're still obsessing over your April Fool's Day! If anything happens to Lily, I'll never forgive you!"

Though I didn't push hard, Catherine staggered backward repeatedly, as if about to fall.

"Officers, you all saw that, right? Emma has mental problems."

"Before we left, I specifically asked her mother to look after Lily. Look, I have proof."

She pulled out her phone and showed them a screenshot of a chat conversation.

It showed that this morning, she had specifically instructed my mother: Make Lily fried eggs for lunch today.

I stared in disbelief at my mother's reply.

This was impossible!

Lily was allergic to eggs. Catherine never cared about Lily, so her not knowing was normal.

But my mother knew. She would never have agreed to this.

I immediately tried calling my mother to verify.

But unluckily, at that exact moment, my mother's phone was turned off.

I spun around anxiously, telling myself to stay calm.

Suddenly, I thought of something and snatched Catherine's phone.

The screenshot timestamp showed last night at eight o'clock.

But the actual chat record was from this morning.

"Officer, look! This screenshot is fake. Catherine doctored it. Don't believe her. Please help me find Lily!"

My fingers shook as I pleaded desperately.

"Lily has asthma. If she has an attack and can't find her family, the consequences will be unthinkable!"

The officer looked between us suspiciously.

Seeing my panicked expression, he finally nodded in agreement.

But just as they were about to begin the search, Catherine spoke up again.

"Oh my, officer, I really can't stand watching this anymore. I only faked that screenshot because I didn't want you to be deceived by her."

"The truth is, this 'daughter' she's talking about is a dog!"

She even pulled up photos of our dog.

The officer's face darkened as he sternly rebuked her.

"What exactly is going on here? Police reports are not a game. Please show us some respect!"

By now, a crowd had gathered around us.

After hearing Catherine's words, they all turned to criticize me.

"Making a police report over a lost dog? And lying about it being your daughter—aren't you afraid of karma?"

"Exactly. At her age, she should be a mother herself. She should know better than to act like this."

"Catherine is the reasonable one. Emma is absolutely outrageous!"

After hearing Catherine's words, my vision swam with rage.

"What time do you think it is? You're still lying! Even jokes have their time and place!"

I turned to face the officer, struggling to control my emotions.

"We do have a dog, that's true, but I really do have a daughter. Look, I have proof!"

I pulled out photos of Lily and me together.

In the picture, Lily was hugging me, her face beaming with joy.

Only then did the officer slowly nod, turning to Catherine with clear anger.

"Ma'am, please stop lying. If something happens, you'll face legal consequences!"

Catherine laughed it off with obvious satisfaction.

"I'm so sorry, everyone. I was just playing an April Fool's joke with you all. I didn't expect you to take it so seriously."

Just as my heart began to settle, after taking only two steps, Catherine spoke up again.