" The reason I left all those years ago ... " she bit her lip , her face a mask of tragic bravery . " ... it was because I had cancer . " The wind seemed to die down . She was lost in her own melodrama . " I didn't want to be a burden , so I left . But while I was gone , you found not one , but two substitutes ... Amelia was one thing , she barely resembles me . But Kristin ... you let her into our home , let my daughter call her ' mother ' ... " I couldn't take it anymore . " First of all , I am not a substitute for anyone . I am a therapist . Second , Pearl has never called me ' moth- er . ' She is autistic and non - verbal . Third , I have absolutely no reason to steal anything from Elias . " Just then , a police officer who had been examining the USB drive called out , " We've got something . " All eyes turned to the laptop screen . It showed a video of " me " sneaking into Elias's study , grabbing a file from his desk , and leavi- ng . " You see ! " Seraphina shrieked . " It was her ! She's a spy ! Arrest her ! Elias , kill her ! She betrayed you ! " 8 But no one moved . They were all just staring at her like she was an idiot . " What are you all looking at ? " she demanded , a flicker of panic in her eyes . " Why are you protecting her when the proof is right there ?" " Seraphina , what is wrong with you ? " I sighed . " You really think the police are going to fall for a deepfake video this bad ? " " It's not a deepfake ! It's from the security camera ! " I was speechless . " Look at the video , " I said , pointing at the screen . " Do you see how my body clips through the wall ? I literally walk through a solid wall to get into the room . And why does your security camera have a close - up shot of the file , with the word ' TOP SECRET ' written on it in giant letters ? " The video was so absurd , I didn't know where to begin . While she was distracted , the police made their move . They tackled her , grabbing Pearl and pulling them both back from the ledge . Pearl was safe . The investigation revealed that Seraphina had leaked the product designs herself . A coffee shop's security camera had captured her meeting with the rival CEO . The audio was crystal clear . " But he's your husband , " the CEO had said . " Aren't you afraid he'll go bankrupt ? " " Maybe if he loses everything , he'll finally realize that I'm the only one who will stand by him , " she had replied . " Then why did you leave him in the first place ? " " Because after Pearl was born , he wasn't completely focused on me anymore , " she had spat . " He's not allowed to pay attention to any other woman . Not even our daughter . I had to teach him a lesson , to show him that his world should revolve around me and only me . But then he dared to find substitutes . " When Elias learned the real reason she had left , something inside him finally broke . This time , no matter how much she begged , he filed for divorce and pressed charges for corporate espionage . The Hayes Corporation proved its innocence , but the damage was done . Ellas , under immense pressure , still managed to secure the funding for the overseas autism research . And it worked . Slowly , miraculously , Pearl started to get better . One day , she spoke her first word : " Dada . " Elias was overcome . He grabbed my hands , his eyes filled with tears . " Kristin , thank you . Thank you so much . I've been thinking ... Pearl loves you so much . Maybe ... maybe you could be her real mother . " 17:49 Chapter 2 11:49 He pulled out a ring and got down on one knee . " Will you marry me ? " I snatched my hands back . " Are you insane ? I save you from one crazy woman , and this is how you repay me ? " " Just because you can't find anyone doesn't mean I can't ! " Pearl was getting better . That was all that mattered . I packed my bags that night and left . Being around people who had spent too much time with Seraphina was clearly not good for one's mental health . ( The End )