Chapter 1
The moment I stepped off the plane, and without a care of how exhausted I was, I went straight to my son’s preschool, clutching a limited edition Iron Man action figure.
It was something my husband, Jeremy Lynn, had promised our son but never followed through on. Hence, even though my business trip wasn’t technically over, I pushed through the pressure to come back early and surprise my son.
It was the day before a big local fall festival, and the preschool was bustling with activity. My eyes scanned the crowd until I spotted him—my little boy, Daniel Lynn.
He was dressed in an adorable bunny costume, nestled in the arms of a woman, whining in his sweet little voice, “Mom, I want a candy apple.”
At that moment, a chill ran down my spine. That woman was none other than Jeremy’s college sweetheart—Shannon Sinclair!
How could I not recognize her? Jeremy still had his college graduation album, where there was a special photo of him twirling Shannon around in her cap and gown. It was even tucked away in a protective sleeve, with his handwriting on the back, "Shannon, my youth."
“Dan!” I rushed forward, grabbing my son from Shannon’s arms.
Dan turned to look at me but quickly pouted and averted his gaze, refusing to meet my eyes. He was just like his father—silent when angry, never expressing his feelings out loud but letting his discontent simmer underneath.
Was he upset because I’d been gone for too long on this trip?
Softening my tone, I spoke gently, “Dan, I’m back now. Let’s go home, okay?”
Before Dan could answer, Shannon stepped in, holding him protectively while frowning at me. “And who are you? You can''t just waltz up to someone else’s kid like this. Do you even know who you’re talking to?”
My anger flared. “Dan is my son! What are you even doing here picking him up?”
Shannon snickered “Oh, he’s your son, is he?”
Then, she shot me a look and casually fixed Dan’s collar. “I’ve been picking up Dan for the past month. Why don’t you ask the teachers who his real mom is?”
My blood was boiling, and without thinking, I reached for Dan. “Dan, look! I got you that Iron Man toy you wanted. Don’t you want it?”
Dan hesitated, almost turning back to me, but Shannon let out a sudden shriek and shoved me hard. “Security! There’s a kidnapper here! Someone grab her!”
The force of her push nearly knocked me off my feet, and before I could steady myself, two burly security guards charged over. Without a word, they tackled me to the ground.
