She Called Me Fake, I Outshone Her

When Mr. Caelan Alderidge's first love burst through the door, I was softly telling a bedtime story to their autistic daughter. The woman's gaze swept between the two of us, and she strode over to us. Just as I thought she was about to pick up her daughter, she suddenly raised her hand and slapped me across the face. "You b***h! I've only been gone a few years, and you took advantage of my absence to worm your way into his life, sleep with my husband, and steal my daughter. "You think looking a little like me makes you fit to be my stand-in? To take everything that's mine!" I clutched my stinging, swollen cheek, totally floored. Who's the stand-in? Me? Aren't I the occupational therapist Mr. Alderidge hired to take care of his autistic daughter? The sharp sound of the slap made the little girl jump. She had been drifting off to sleep, but now she let out a loud cry and began to sob. My professional training kept me from stopping to argue with this agitated woman. I immediately pulled the girl close in my arms and began to soothe her in a quiet, steady voice. From birth, the child had been diagnosed with autism. She did not seek comfort from anyone and showed little interest in others, until she was held by me. Only then did she usually begin to calm down. That was why Caelan had hired me at a high salary to look after her full-time. As I spoke in soft, gentle tones, the girl's breathing gradually slowed and her crying faded. But the woman standing nearby, who had been ignored through all of this, grew furious. She stepped forward and reached out roughly, trying to pull the girl from my arms. "She is the child I carried for nine months! How can she grow attached to someone who is only a replacement? I am her mother!" Her voice rose higher, and she seemed almost unhinged in her distress. Children on the autism spectrum are far more sensitive to changes in mood and tone than typical children. Just as she had settled, the girl's anxiety flared up again, and she began to cry once more. This time, I felt genuine anger rise inside me. Even if this woman really was the girl's biological mother, the first love who had walked out years before, I could not let her upset the child further. I turned slightly to shield the girl and stepped back out of reach, then quickly pressed the emergency call button beside the bed. Within moments, the housekeeper and Caelan himself hurried into the room. "Caelan, this woman is trying to harm the child," I said clearly. Immediately protective, Caelan strode over and positioned himself between me and the woman, placing his body in front of his daughter. But the moment he looked closely at her face, his eyes turned red, and his voice came out rough and strained. "Thessaly… you finally decided to come back." His hands trembled as he reached out, then gently guided the girl toward Thessaly, hoping she would open her arms to hold their daughter. Instead of reaching for the child, Thessaly turned her head away, her expression full of hurt and resentment. "I want no part of a daughter who turns against her own mother for a stranger. "And you... when you proposed to me, you swore you would love only me for the rest of your life! I was only gone six years, and already you let another woman take my place, one who even looks somewhat like me!" Caelan glanced uncertainly from Thessaly to me. He seemed confused, as if trying to see the resemblance she claimed. To him, we looked no more alike than any two people, two eyes, one nose, one mouth. "You keep looking at her! If you choose her, even while I am standing right here, then I will leave!" With that, Thessaly turned and hurried toward the door, tears streaming down her face. Caelan panicked. He quickly placed the girl back into my arms and rushed after her. From the hallway, I heard him speaking in a hurried, pleading tone. "Thessaly, she is the only caregiver I hired to look after our daughter. She is not some replacement. Now that you have returned, we can all be a family again, just as we planned. Thessaly… please." About half an hour later, Caelan led Thessaly back into the room. She looked at me, raised one eyebrow in triumph, and said, "You are dismissed." Before I could reply, Caelan spoke up quickly. "Thessaly, I just explained, our daughter depends entirely on her. We cannot simply send her away." Thessaly's expression shifted instantly. Her eyes filled with tears once more, and her voice softened into something hurt and fragile. "I don't blame you, Caelan," she said softly, lowering her gaze. "After all, I was the one who acted selfishly and left you and our daughter behind to go abroad. If you find someone to fill the void while I am gone, I won't hold it against you." She paused, her voice growing gentler as she looked back into his eyes. "But now I'm home. Our daughter needs her real mother," she whispered. "And you need me, too." Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. Caelan hesitated. He knew very well how much their daughter relied on me, but he also knew he could not risk losing Thessaly again. After a short pause, he turned to me. "Jovana, take the night off. Go home and rest for now." I raised my hand to my still-throbbing cheek. "This injury was caused while I was on duty. I expect proper compensation." Caelan tapped a few times on his phone. When I checked the transfer details, I was taken aback. He had not just sent money, he had transferred ownership of a fully furnished apartment, located in the most exclusive and central district of the city. I carefully handed the girl back to Caelan and nodded respectfully. "Understood. I will leave at once." As I walked out the door, Thessaly stood there with her hands on her hips, head held high like a victor who had just won a battle. I did not stop to argue. My mind was already thinking about my new apartment, and I felt no need to engage. Besides, since I had begun caring for the girl, I had not had a single full night of proper rest. Later that night, I was fast asleep in my own bed, deep in a dreamless slumber, when my phone began to ring loudly.