At first, I checked the cameras constantly. But over time, I relaxed. Lily seemed happy. Mrs. Harper was kind. There were even nights I ran late, and she fed Lily dinner without ever complaining.
Everything seemed perfect.
Until that sentence.
“There’s a girl who looks exactly like me.”
I told Daniel that night. He laughed it off.
“She’s four,” he said. “Kids imagine things.”
I wanted to believe him.
I really did.
But Lily kept mentioning the girl.
Not once. Not twice.
Over and over again.
And every time, her voice carried the same certainty. No giggles. No exaggeration. Just quiet truth.
Then one afternoon, she said something that made my stomach twist.
“I’m not allowed to play with her anymore.”
I looked at her through the rearview mirror.
“What do you mean?”
“Teacher says I can’t go near her.”
“Why?”
