Chapter 10
Oliver led me to his classroom, and only then did I realize that he and Lynley were in the same class, sitting in adjacent rows. He eagerly introduced me to his classmates.
“This is my mommy. She’s back.”
The kids in the class looked surprised, “Isn’t she Lynley’s mom?”
Oliver’s joyful expression faltered, but he stubbornly insisted that I was his mother. I patted his little head and smiled.
“Yes, I am your mommy!”
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Oliver’s eyes lit up again. He was a child in need of affection. I held him close and
looked through the praise he had received at school.
At that moment, a familiar voice cut through the air.
“Mommy, why are you holding Oliver?”
I turned to see Lynley, also being held by Acelynn, his eyes filled with confusion and sadness as he looked at me. Since the
divorce, Lynley and Keith had vanished from my life.
I glanced at him briefly and then turned away. Lynley called out to me again, and when I didn’t respond, he began to struggle
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in Acelynn’s arms.
“I want Mommy”
I felt the little one in my arms grip my sleeve anxiously. I shook my legs slightly.
“Don’t be scared. Mommy is here to attend the parent–teacher meeting.”
Oliver finally seemed reassured. Acelynn, growing impatient with Lynley, slapped him lightly on the behind.
“Lynley, I’m your mother. How many times do I have to tell you not to call others mommy? Why won’t you listen?”
I couldn’t help but smirk. For Keith’s
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sake, Acelynn was so eager to play the stepmother.
Lynley, being a child, needed consistency. The more he resisted, the more it seemed like he needed to be understood. He struggled fiercely and accidentally fell
from Acelynn’s arms, crying out. Acelynn, flustered and helpless, smacked Lynley a few more times.
Unable to watch any longer, I pulled Lynley toward me.
“Acelynn, aren’t you afraid Keith will find out you’re mistreating his child?”
Acelynn scoffed. “Lesley, Lynley is also my child. I can do what I want. It’s none of your
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business. Do you think everyone is like you, eagerly stepping into the role of someone else’s stepmother?”
Acelynn took Lynley and moved him to another spot. Her words planted a seed in my mind.
Acelynn had claimed more than once that Lynley was her child. When I thought about it, Lynley didn’t resemble me at all. I had initially attributed it to Keith’s dominant genes, but now I began to doubt.
