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"Mom, you look so strange."
Lily's voice pulled me back from my daze. We were sitting in the car, parked in the driveway in front of our home, but I couldn't recall the drive back. My hands were still gripping the steering wheel, my knuckles white.
"What? Oh, I'm just a bit tired, sweetheart." I forced a smile and loosened my stiff fingers. "How was school today?"
Lily tilted her head, examining me with that unique perceptiveness children possess. "Did you see her?" she asked softly.
My heart skipped a beat. "See who?"
"Another mom." Lily's expression was unusually serious for her age. "She sometimes appears, but Dad says it's just a game and we have to keep it a secret."
I turned to face her completely, trying to keep my voice steady. "Lily, can you tell me about this 'other mom'? It's important."
Lily glanced at the house as if confirming no one was watching, then leaned closer to me. "She looks just like you, but her eyes are purple. Sometimes Dad takes me to see her in a special apartment. She's always sad and says she wants to go home."
My hands began to tremble. "Does... does she have a name?"
"Alice," Lily whispered the name as if revealing a sacred secret. "Dad lets me call her Auntie, but she says she's also my mom. It confuses me."
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. "Lily, listen, this is very important. Where is this apartment? Do you remember?"
Lily shook her head. "I don't know the address. But it has a blue door, and there are lots of plants in the hallway. The room has a wall full of books." She hesitated for a moment. "Aren't you mad? Dad said this is our secret, and if I told you, you'd be sad."
"I'm not mad, dear." I gently stroked her cheek. "Thank you for telling me. This secret is heavy and shouldn't be yours alone to bear."
Lily seemed relieved and pulled out a folded piece of paper from her backpack. "This is what I drew. Dad didn't let me show you, but I think you should see it."
I unfolded the paper and saw a child's drawing: three people standing next to a house—one man (clearly Mark), one woman with purple eyes, and a blonde little girl (Lily). Another identical woman with brown eyes was drawn in a separate box that looked like a room or cage. What shocked me most was the title of the drawing: "Real Mom and Fake Mom."
"Lily," I asked cautiously, struggling to control my voice, "which one in this drawing is the real mom?"
Lily pointed to the one with purple eyes. "Auntie Alice. Dad said she was sick, so you came to take care of me until she gets better. But she always cries and says she wants to go home. I don't understand why she can't come back."
I felt dizzy. If what Lily said was true, then... who am I? Am I the real Anna Chen while Alice is some kind of imposter? Or am I actually Alice, somehow implanted with Anna's memories and identity?
"Mom, are you okay?" Lily asked worriedly, "Your face is so pale."
"I'm fine, sweetheart." I forced a smile again. "Let's go inside now. Do you have homework?"
As we walked through the door, everything felt so familiar yet so strange. This house we had meticulously decorated, the furniture I had personally chosen, the photos on the walls documenting our lives—was any of it real? Or was it all part of some carefully woven lie?
"Lily, go do your homework. I need to call Dad," I said, trying to make my voice sound normal.
Lily nodded but gave me a tight hug before leaving as if sensing my inner turmoil. "Don't be sad, Mom," she said softly. "No matter what happens, I love you and Auntie Alice."
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