It was a typical Monday morning, and 29-year-old Caleb was in his office reviewing his company’s annual report when an unexpected encounter occurred. A janitor, a woman in her late 50s, entered with cleaning supplies.
“Excuse me, Sir… I’m sorry to disturb you,” she said. Caleb glanced up, stunned. The woman bore an uncanny resemblance to his late mother, who had died 28 years ago.
“Oh my God…this is unbelievable,” Caleb muttered. He allowed her to proceed, all the while unable to shake the feeling of familiarity.
“My name is Michelle, Sir. I started working here recently,” she introduced herself. Caleb couldn’t help but feel suspicious and bewildered by the situation.
As they spoke, Caleb accidentally spilled his coffee, prompting Michelle to help clean up. As she rolled up her sleeves, Caleb noticed a distinctive scar on her left arm.
“This scar… How did you get it?” he asked.
“I have amnesia,” Michelle explained. “I don’t remember anything from over 20 years ago, including how I got this scar.”
Caleb’s heart raced. The scar was identical to one his mother had. Driven by a bizarre theory, he revealed, “Michelle, you look just like my late mother. She had the same scar. Could we go to the hospital for a DNA test?”
Michelle agreed, curious about the possibility. They drove to the hospital in tense silence. Caleb’s mind was awash with questions, wondering if he was chasing an illusion.
As they approached the hospital, Caleb’s thoughts drifted back to a revelation from his past. Twelve years earlier, while helping his father with repairs, Caleb had discovered an old photograph in the attic. The photo showed a woman with a baby, labeled “Baby Caleb with Mommy.”
Caleb had confronted his father, William, who revealed a shocking truth: the woman in the photo was Caleb’s real mother, Sarah, who had died in a car accident when Caleb was just a baby. William admitted that he had remarried Olivia to provide Caleb with a mother.
The following day, Caleb and William visited Sarah’s grave. Caleb wept at the tombstone, overwhelmed by the truth.
Now, as Caleb sat in the car with Michelle, waiting for the DNA test results, he couldn’t help but think, “If Michelle is my mother, then who is buried in that grave?”
The wait was agonizing, but soon a nurse handed Caleb the results. His eyes widened as he read, “Maternity rate… 99.99%!” Michelle was indeed his mother.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Caleb embraced Michelle. However, he was also troubled by the mystery of his father’s lie. Determined to uncover the truth, Caleb devised a plan.
Later, they arrived at William’s mansion. Caleb turned to Michelle, “Are you ready? Do you remember what to say?”
“Yes, I do,” Michelle replied with a confident yet nervous smile as she stepped out of the car.
Michelle hesitated but gathered her courage as she knocked on the door of William’s mansion.
Moments later, the door creaked open. “Good evening!” Michelle greeted William, who froze at the sight of her.
“Jennifer??” William gasped.
“No, I’m Michelle,” she replied with a chuckle. “I’m from Mayflower Cosmetics…here to offer your wife a gift set worth $150.”
William, regaining composure, responded, “What? But how is this possible?”
“Oh, you must’ve confused me with someone else,” Michelle said confidently. “I have amnesia, so I don’t remember anything from over 20 years ago.”
“Amnesia?” William stammered after a pause. “Maybe you’re right…I must have mistaken you for someone else. I’m William, by the way.”
They shook hands, and William noticed an oval-shaped scar on Michelle’s left arm, identical to one his late wife bore. Terrified, he tried to regain his composure.
“Sorry if I startled you,” William said. “My wife isn’t home, but do you have something for men?”
“Oh, yes!” Michelle replied, and William invited her in for coffee.
Inside, Michelle felt uneasy as she noticed the kitchen’s darkness and the glinting knives. Trying to stay calm, she asked, “Can I turn on the light?”
William agreed, but when Michelle flicked the switch inside the kitchen cabinet without hesitation, he was stunned. “None of our guests ever found that switch on their own.”
Realizing she had revealed too much, Michelle quickly made an excuse and left. William tried to follow, but she drove away in an old car, her heart racing.
“Gosh, that was close!” Michelle told Caleb over the phone. “But I think it worked—he’s following me.”
Later, Caleb watched from a distance as William’s car parked outside Michelle’s house before speeding away. Caleb instructed Michelle to lock the doors and prepare for the night.
At three in the morning, Caleb, concealed in a borrowed car, watched as William crept into Michelle’s backyard and climbed up to her balcony. Slipping through an open window, William saw what he thought was Michelle lying in bed. He approached with a knife, stabbing the figure repeatedly.
Suddenly, the lights blazed on, and two police officers stormed in, arresting William. He stared in horror at the bed, realizing he had stabbed a human effigy stuffed with feathers and cotton.
William was taken to the station, where he eventually confessed to a crime committed 28 years ago. His wife, Jennifer, had discovered his affair with his secretary, Olivia, and wanted a divorce. To avoid tarnishing his reputation and losing his wealth, William had pushed Jennifer off a cliff during a family picnic. He thought he had killed her, but Jennifer miraculously survived the fall, only to resurface years later as Michelle.