Although I asked a few casual questions, I noticed that Angela avoided direct eye contact, which left an uncomfortable tension lingering in the air. That night I barely slept because the image of that little girl replayed endlessly in my thoughts, and the resemblance between the two children felt too strong to be coincidence.
The next afternoon instead of driving home after work I parked my car across the street from Angela’s house and waited while telling myself that I was probably being irrational.
About an hour later Angela stepped outside holding the little girl’s hand. The closer I observed them, the stronger the resemblance appeared. Angela lifted the child into her arms and kissed her forehead while the girl wrapped both arms around her neck affectionately.
Hazel’s earlier words echoed in my mind as I gripped the steering wheel and realized I needed answers.
That evening I tried again to discuss the situation with Garrett. “Garrett,” I said carefully, “I saw Angela’s daughter today.”
He continued scrolling through his phone and responded casually, “Okay.”
“She looks exactly like Hazel,” I insisted.
He chuckled and said, “Children often resemble each other.”
“No,” I replied slowly, “you do not understand because she looks exactly like Hazel.”
For a brief second something flickered across Garrett’s face before disappearing. “You are just stressed from work,” he said calmly.
His tone felt strangely controlled, which sent a cold chill down my spine. The following day while Hazel was at daycare I called Angela and told her I had forgotten to sign one of Hazel’s forms and wanted to stop by quickly.
She hesitated before agreeing. When I arrived, only two children were playing in the living room and Angela stood near the doorway. Her daughter was nowhere in sight.
“Where is your little girl?” I asked lightly.
Angela froze before answering, “She is taking a nap.”
“Can I say hello?” I asked.
“No,” she blurted before quickly correcting herself by saying that her daughter was shy around strangers.
While pretending to sign the form I had printed earlier, I glanced toward a hallway where a small door stood slightly open. Inside the doorway stood the girl. She looked directly at me. Our eyes met.
In that instant I felt my heart drop because she was not staring like a stranger but rather like a child observing someone familiar.