My daughter and I were in a terrible car accident that left us with total amnesia. Instead of staying to care for us, my wife, a psychiatrist, traveled the world with her depressed ex and his son. Slowly, we started to remember. My wife noticed we had become quieter, more independent, and well behaved. She thought her life was perfectly balanced. But on Christmas Eve, she left us again to be with her ex. When she finally came home, she overheard us talking. My daughter asked, "Dad, is that woman really my mom?" She said calling her "Mom" never felt right. I agreed. I said she wasn’t my type and I didn’t know why I’d married her. My daughter smiled. "You like Ms. Finnerty, right? She blushes when she sees you." Before I could reply, she whispered loud enough to be heard through the door, "Dad, how about we just get a new mom?" 1 For dinner, I ordered two portions of suicide hot buffalo wings. My daughter and I were eating them, sweating bullets and breathing heavy. A voice, both familiar and incredibly foreign, suddenly echoed from behind us. "You didn't wait for me?" We both jumped in our seats. Turning around, we saw a beautiful woman standing in the doorway. Her facial features were strikingly similar to my daughter's, but she radiated a freezing, unapproachable aura. It was Madison. My wife, and my daughter's mother. She walked closer, her eyes locking onto our grease smeared mouths and the basket of blazing red wings. Her brows knitted together in deep disgust. "We have been married for six years. Do you not know I have a severe stomach ulcer and can't eat spicy food?" Sophie sucked the meat off a chicken bone and blurted out, "We didn't order this for you. This is what we wanted to eat." Madison froze dead in her tracks. I let out an awkward chuckle, scrambling to smooth things over. "Well... I saw your Instagram story. You were at the amusement park with Nathan and his son, so I just assumed you guys would grab dinner together." "Oliver," she cut me off. Her tone carried her usual, heavy impatience. "I have explained this to you. Nathan's wife abandoned them, and it triggered severe clinical depression in both him and his boy. I am a medical professional. I am simply fulfilling my duty." "But what about you?" she continued, her voice turning ice cold. "As a husband and a father, you not only caused a massive scene at my clinic, but you also taught Sophie to be petty and jealous." She paused, staring down at us. "Did getting into that car crash finally teach you a lesson?" A tidal wave of memories crashed into my brain. I remembered finding out that the patient she had been doing round the clock care for was actually the guy she never got over from high school. I remembered dragging our daughter to her office to catch them in the act. She had just pulled us into a corner, looking utterly exhausted. She told me she kept it a secret because she knew I would overreact. She said abandoning a suicidal patient was medical malpractice. She told me to stop acting like a lunatic in front of her traumatized patient. Her cold, clinical tone always made me and my daughter look like hysterical maniacs. So, I had paid people to hold up massive signs outside her clinic, exposing her for having an affair with a patient. Sophie had taken a megaphone to kindergarten, chasing Nathan's son around, screaming that his dad was a homewrecker and telling the other kids not to play with him. After that, Nathan and his son stood on a rooftop, crying and threatening to jump. To force me to back down, Madison pulled strings to get me fired from my job. She made sure Sophie was completely isolated and bullied at her preschool. I had suffered a total mental breakdown and threatened her with divorce. She finally compromised, promising to keep strict professional boundaries with them. Sophie and I had believed her. We had even booked our fifth anniversary trip months in advance, counting down the days until she finally took some time off. On the day of the trip, we went to the hospital with beaming smiles to pick her up. Instead, we received a freezing phone call. "Emergency business trip. The vacation is postponed." We were walking out of the hospital lobby, completely crushed, when we overheard two nurses chatting and laughing by the corner. "Dr. Madison is so dedicated to Mr. Nathan. She actually took a six month leave of absence just to travel with him and his son for therapeutic healing!" "I know, right? I heard she's already in a cab escorting them to the airport." My ears rang violently. It felt like a massive chunk of my chest had been carved out with a rusty knife. Before the tears could even fall from my eyes, I looked down and saw Sophie's pale little face. Huge tears rolled down her cheeks as her voice trembled. "Daddy... does Mommy really not want us anymore?" That single sentence shattered whatever was left of my sanity. I grabbed Sophie's hand and ran toward the street, desperate to chase Madison down. We needed an answer. We needed her to look us in the eye and tell us if she still wanted this family. But before we ever caught up to her, the truck hit us. When we woke up in the hospital, our world had been wiped clean. Aside from each other, we had no idea who she was. And she used our amnesia as the perfect excuse to put us on a shelf and forget about us. The memories receded. Sophie and I exchanged a highly awkward glance. Even though our memories were back, the emotions attached to them were completely dead. Honestly, we couldn't even comprehend why our past selves had acted so psychotic over this woman. We immediately swore to her that we wouldn't cause any more trouble. We promised we would never bother her and her patients again. Madison's face darkened even more. It took her a long time to regain her signature, controlling composure. "I am taking them to the national park tomorrow for nature therapy. Make sure you prep three lunchboxes for us." "Sophie, make sure you copy an extra set of your class notes for Toby." She turned toward the hallway, tossing one last cold remark over her shoulder. "You better keep your word. Don't do anything... humiliating again." The bedroom door clicked shut. Sophie and I looked at each other and shrugged at the exact same time. Then, I pulled out my phone and ordered us a massive, luxury breakfast delivery for the morning. Sophie texted her teacher, politely asking for a digital backup of the class materials. As for tomorrow? We already promised Ms. Finnerty we were going hiking with her. Nobody had time to worry about Madison. 2 Early the next morning, Nathan's soft, gentle voice drifted in from the living room. "Madison, is it really just going to be us? Maybe... maybe we should invite Oliver and Sophie? I really don't want them getting the wrong idea. I can handle the stress, but Toby is so little. He can't take any more bullying..." Toby chimed in with a tiny, pitiful voice. "Dad, I'm okay. Sophie didn't... she didn't mean to be mean to me." Madison's voice immediately softened into a warm hum. "Be a good boy, Toby. Don't worry about them. If I bring them along, God knows what kind of scene they'll cause. It would ruin your therapy." I sighed, rolled over in bed, and drifted back into a groggy sleep. The next time I opened my eyes, a brutal force was yanking me up by the collar of my shirt. Madison literally dragged me out of the bedroom and threw me into the living room. "Look at what your precious daughter did!" she hissed, her voice vibrating with rage. "Look at what she did to Toby!" Nathan was sitting on the floor, his eyes red and teary, cradling Toby. The boy was covered in mashed potatoes and gravy, shivering like a wet stray dog. My daughter was sitting on the floor in the middle of the mess. Her small hands were fiercely guarding three insulated lunchboxes. Her face was flushed bright red, and heavy tears were hitting the hardwood floor. "I didn't push him!" she cried out, her voice cracking. "He's a thief! He stole the lunch my dad made for me! I just wanted to get it back!" Madison didn't even spare her a glance. She was entirely focused on using wet wipes to carefully clean Toby's jacket, whispering comforting words to Nathan. Only after she finished did she turn around. Her eyes held a look of profound exhaustion, as if she was watching a pathetic, predictable reality show. "Oliver. Just because I asked you to make a few extra portions of food, you hold a grudge and teach your daughter to pull these disgusting stunts?" "You promised me last night you would behave. Did you really break your word that fast?" I took a deep breath, trying to explain rationally. "I didn't teach her anything. And I believe Sophie is telling the truth. I left your three lunchboxes on the kitchen island hours ago. Toby probably just grabbed the wrong one by mistake..." "Enough." Madison cut me off with absolute disgust. "Drop the act. I haven't forgotten the psycho things you two used to do. The apple clearly doesn't fall far from the tree. You need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and figure out how to be a real father." Every word I wanted to say died in my throat. When we had our massive fallout in the past, we agreed to compromise. If she kept her distance from Nathan, we would keep the peace. After that, Madison did come home on time. She texted me her location. But the second Nathan's son got a tiny scrape on his knee at kindergarten, she would drop everything, rush to the school, and force Sophie to apologize. Whenever Sophie cried and tried to defend herself, Madison would just glare at me with eyes made of ice. "Oliver, does your word mean absolutely nothing? Stop throwing tantrums. Do not drain the last drop of patience and love I have for you. Because if you push me to the edge, there will be nothing left to salvage." The worst incident was when she looked down at Sophie and said, "If my daughter is this malicious and toxic, I don't want her." How could a little girl handle hearing that from her own mother? She had chased Madison's car down the street barefoot, her feet bleeding on the pavement, desperately grabbing onto Madison's coat and taking the blame for things she never did. "Mommy! I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I'll never do it again! I apologized to Toby!" "Please don't abandon me and Daddy!" Since that day, my daughter never dared to defend herself again. I let out a very quiet sigh. What was the point of explaining? In her eyes, we were already convicted criminals with a long rap sheet. I pulled Sophie tightly into my chest. My voice was low and steady. "Sophie, give them the lunchboxes." Sophie's body went completely rigid. A second later, she aggressively wiped her face with her sleeve. She didn't argue. She just quietly pushed the insulated containers across the floor. Madison didn't even look at us. She bent down, scooped Toby into her arms, placed a protective hand on Nathan's back, and walked toward the door. SLAM. The heavy thud of the front door echoed through the house, leaving behind a suffocating, dead silence. It was just me, my daughter, and a ruined floor. I quietly grabbed some paper towels and started cleaning up the mess. Sophie crouched down next to me, helping me pick up the spilled food. After a long time, I asked her softly. "Sophie. If one day, Daddy and Mommy don't live together anymore..." "Who do you want to stay with?" I had asked her this exact question back when the drama with Madison was at its absolute worst. Back then, she had sobbed uncontrollably. "I don't want Mommy and Daddy to separate! I want our family to be together forever!" But right now, there was zero hesitation. She looked up at me, her big eyes clear and remarkably determined. "I'm staying with you, Dad." "No matter what happens, I only want you." I looked at her, and a genuine smile broke across my face. The last trace of freezing cold in my chest melted away completely. I gently ruffled her hair. "Okay." If she was with me, I had absolutely nothing to fear. 3 Just as I tossed the last paper towel into the trash, the doorbell rang. "Oliver? Sophie? Are you guys home?" Sophie's eyes instantly lit up. "It's Ms. Finnerty!" She bolted down the hallway to open the door. Outside stood a beautiful young woman with soft features. She immediately bent down to catch the little girl launching into her arms. Noticing Sophie's red, puffy eyes, Finnerty's voice instantly melted into worry. "Sophie, what's wrong? Were you crying?" The little girl buried her face into Finnerty's shoulder, whining pitifully. "The lunch Daddy made for me... got taken away..." "It's okay," Finnerty said, gently rubbing the girl's back, her voice incredibly soothing. "I made a fresh batch. It has all of your and your dad's favorites." She had a magical way with kids. Within three sentences, she had Sophie giggling through her tears. Finnerty finally looked up at me, offering an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry for dropping by unannounced, Oliver. You weren't answering your phone, and I got a bit worried." "Please, don't apologize," I said quickly. "You literally saved my and Sophie's lives. You're always welcome here." Half a year ago, Finnerty was the one who pulled us out of the mangled wreckage of our car. She ran every red light to get us to the emergency room. When she found out we had memory loss and were struggling with basic cognitive functions, she practically took over. She brought us home cooked meals every day and drove Sophie to and from school. Once our memories fully returned, she gracefully stepped back, keeping a perfectly polite and professional distance. But shortly after she found out the truth about our car crash, she mysteriously transferred to Sophie's kindergarten as a new teacher. Finnerty's ears turned a faint shade of pink. She spoke softly, "Oliver, I have the whole hiking trail mapped out. Ready to go?" Just as she promised, the day was perfectly organized. When Sophie got tired of walking, Finnerty naturally crouched down. "Hop on, kiddo." I felt incredibly guilty. "Don't spoil her too much, Finnerty. You're already carrying the heavy backpack." She just laughed, casually walking by my side. "It's fine. I hit the gym all the time. I've got plenty of stamina." For some reason, looking at her beautiful side profile in the sunlight, my heart skipped a weird beat. Even after we reached the rest area and she took Sophie to buy water, that strange fluttering in my chest didn't go away. Right at that moment, a familiar, childish voice echoed from down the trail. "Mommy! Let's race!" Followed by Nathan's laughing voice. "Slow down, Toby! You're going to trip." And finally, Madison's warm, affectionate response. "Sir Toby, your mother is going to catch you!" I turned around. My eyes locked directly with the three of them standing just a few yards away. The air instantly froze. Nathan's face went completely pale. He yanked his son into his chest, his voice violently shaking. "Oliver... are you... are you stalking us again? I swear, Madison and I are just friends! Toby just misses having a mother, he doesn't mean anything by it... take your anger out on me, just please don't hurt my boy..." Madison instantly stepped forward, shielding the two of them behind her body like I was a rabid bear about to attack. Her jaw clenched, her eyebrows pulling together in fierce anger. "Oliver. I told you, this is a therapy session. Their mental state is incredibly fragile. How many times do I have to spell it out for you to stop acting like a paranoid psychopath?" I looked at her familiar yet alien face. I looked at the exact scenario that used to make me scream, cry, and lose my absolute mind. But standing here now, my chest was a lake of total calm. Honestly, the whole thing just felt comical. It's crazy how you can't even empathize with your past self. Looking at her, I genuinely couldn't figure out what I ever saw in her. If I loved her, I would be furious right now. But I just waved my hand dismissively, my tone incredibly relaxed. "I know. It's your job as a psychiatrist. You really don't need to explain yourself to me." "We're just here to hike. Total coincidence. You guys keep doing your thing. Just pretend we don't exist." Madison clearly didn't expect that. She stared at me intensely. "Toby just called me Mom. You aren't mad?" I looked at her, genuinely confused. "Why would I be mad?" She analyzed my face, desperately searching for any crack in my composure, any sign that I was faking it. She found absolutely nothing. Her expression turned incredibly dark. The air around her grew even colder. After a long, agonizing silence, she seemed to reach a conclusion in her own head. She spoke with a cold, absolute certainty. "Drop the act, Oliver. I know you're just throwing a tantrum. I will sit down and have a serious talk with you tonight. But right now, you need to go home. I'll let this incident slide." I was just about to tell her she was delusional when a clear, melodious voice chimed in from behind me. "Oliver, is everything okay?" Madison whipped her head toward the voice, her entire body freezing in place. "What's going on?" Finnerty walked up to my side, carrying my daughter. Sophie's face was covered in sticky sugar dust. I naturally stepped toward them. "What took you guys so long? Did Sophie beg you for junk food again?" Catching Sophie's desperate, pleading look, Finnerty laughed smoothly to cover for her. "I just got her a tiny cotton candy for an energy boost. And this one is for you." Like a magician, she pulled a massive, fluffy cotton candy from behind her back and handed it to me. I couldn't help but smile. I reached out to take it. "Oliver," Madison's voice sliced through the air like a razor blade. "Who is she?" Hiding behind Madison's legs, Toby peeked his head out and muttered, "Why is Ms. Finnerty here?" I blinked, suddenly realizing something. Ever since Nathan and Toby walked into our lives, Madison hadn't dropped Sophie off at kindergarten a single time. She hadn't even bothered to ask who helped us after the car crash. This was the very first time she was laying eyes on Finnerty. "This is Ms. Finnerty," I introduced her simply. "If it wasn't for her pulling us out of the wreck half a year ago, Sophie and I wouldn't be here." When it was time to introduce Madison, Finnerty already had a polite, gorgeous smile on her face. She extended her hand gracefully. "You must be Toby's mother. It is a pleasure to meet you."
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