Chapter 3

Looking at the endless stream of arrogant, bossy texts flooding my screen, I found the whole thing darkly hilarious.

I didn't lose my temper. I simply sent back the exact same automated reply every time:

"My whole family is out of town on vacation. We are not home. Please check on your child's safety immediately. We assume zero responsibility for any accidents."

No matter what crazy demands she threw my way, that was my only response.

Late at night, I pulled up the playback from our security camera.

A few days after Martha dragged Leo into her apartment,

the camera caught her leaving the building carrying heavy luggage, leading Leo by the hand. They never returned.

I watched the footage with a cold, unbothered detachment.

Brenda, I warned you repeatedly. You were the one who chose to plug your ears.

The month flew by in the blink of an eye, and our vacation came to an end.

My family of four arrived back at our apartment building.

The moment the elevator doors opened on our floor, a hand came flying straight at me.

Brenda stood there, eyes bloodshot and hair completely disheveled, swinging her palm hard toward my cheek.

"SLAP!"

"Chloe, you disgusting bitch! Where did you hide my son?!"

The blow stung, leaving my cheek throbbing and numb.

Licking the metallic trace of blood from the corner of my lip, I stared daggers at Brenda.

Brenda instantly threw herself onto the hallway floor, wailing hysterically.

"Look, everyone! Come see this! This family stole my baby, refuses to admit it, and now they're attacking me!"

"Pity me, a struggling single mother working herself to the bone out of town, only to come back and find my son gone!"

Curious neighbors and building staff stepped into the hallway, shooting suspicious, accusatory glares at my family.

A few older women immediately began whispering and pointing fingers.

"They always seemed so decent. How could they do something so vile?"

"I heard Chloe couldn't get pregnant. She must've lost her mind and snatched the boy because he was so cute!"

My mother shook with rage, pointing a finger back at Brenda.

"Stop spitting venom! We've been on an island vacation for the entire month! We literally just walked in from the airport! Nobody has seen your damn kid!"

Brenda scrambled up from the floor, shrieking at me.

"You're still lying through your teeth!"

She snatched her phone from her pocket and thrust it high into the air.

"Look at this, everyone! Here's the proof! Chloe stole my baby!"

It was footage from the camera Brenda had installed on her own door.

On the screen, it showed Leo crying outside my door after she walked away that morning.

Moments later, Leo seemed to hear something. He stopped crying, got up, and walked toward the camera's blind spot.

That blind spot happened to be right in front of my door.

Due to the angle of her camera, it didn't capture Martha’s doorway at all.

Seeing that the crowd had watched the clip, Brenda held her head high.

"See that?! My son walked straight toward her door! She must have baited him inside with candy or toys!"

"I texted her every single day on SnapChat, and she kept fabricating lies about not being home."

"She was just stalling for time so she could traffic my son away in secret!"

Her twisted logic actually had several clueless neighbors nodding in agreement.

"She's right... the boy clearly walked toward their door. How can they deny it?"

"That's horrifying! Keeping a child hidden for an entire month without letting his mother see him?!"

"With dangerous people like this in our building, how can anyone with kids sleep peacefully at night?"