Chapter 2: The Backpack on the Hook
It started small.
The way these things always do.
A missed pickup.
A forgotten lunch.
A teacher's note that somehow never reached Naomi.
Vanessa made sure of it.
She had Graham's assistant on her side, his mother in her ear, and a carefully worded story ready for anyone who asked.
Naomi was struggling.
Naomi was distracted.
Naomi had "moved on" — and little Maisie was the one paying the price.
Graham didn't want to believe it.
But the evidence kept coming.
Then one afternoon, Maisie came home from school crying.
"Daddy, Mommy forgot me again."
Graham's face went still.
What he didn't know was that Naomi had been standing outside that school for forty minutes — until Vanessa's sister pulled up first and drove Maisie away before Naomi even saw the car leave.
Naomi called.
And called.
Graham didn't pick up.
That night, she showed up at the Mercer house.
Vanessa opened the door.
"She's asleep," Vanessa said softly.
"She had a hard day.
Maybe don't upset her."
Naomi looked past her into the hallway — and saw Maisie's backpack hanging on the hook like it belonged there.
Like it had always been there.
That was the moment Naomi understood.
This wasn't about the wedding anymore.
Vanessa wasn't trying to hurt her.
She was trying to *replace* her.
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What Naomi found out next made even Graham go pale.
Click the link below to read the full story — the truth is worse than anyone expected.
