Chapter 4 Exposed Lie

"Of course." My husband replied. "Back in our hometown, I went out of my way to ask several people. Ms. Jones has been widowed for over a decade. She used to run a shop there. Not only is she hardworking, but she's also warm and hospitable.The relatives there all speak highly of her."

Hearing him say this, I could only nod in agreement.

But when I recalled the scenes I had seen in the video, I couldn't shake off a sense of unease.

So, while my husband was asleep, I sent a message to my best friend back in our hometown.

Time flew by, Ms. Jones and Jeffery had been staying at our house for a month.

During the day, they helped take care of the baby. By the time my husband and I got home from work, the baby would be handed back to us.

Both of them used to love dancing back in the hometown. In fact, they had met through dancing. Just a few days ago, while I was out strolling with the baby, we happened to pass by an activity center for seniors right across the street.

That sparked their interest, and now they had been heading out side by side to dance almost every evening.

But I didn't expect that the dancing would become the trigger for a major family conflict.

Without the monitors, I had no way of knowing what they were doing at home. Occasionally, I called Jeffery, only to find out he was out somewhere. When I pressed for details, he would cut the call short, claiming there was a bad signal.

I brought this up with my husband, and he promised to ask about it during the day.

But it was the same story-vague answers and calls that ended abruptly.

One day, my husband took the day off to handle some paperwork for our house registration. He left early and didn't have a chance to inform his father.

When he finished and returned home around two in the afternoon, he opened the door to find the house completely empty.

To be exact, there were no adults.

The baby was asleep in his little cradle, his head was damp with sweat, and his cheek bore the imprint of the pillow. It looked like he had been asleep for quite a while.

My husband called his father. When the call connected, his father answered impatiently, "What now?"

Although my husband was angry, he held back his temper. "Dad, where are you?"

There was an awkward cough on the other end before his father replied casually, "We're outside, enjoying the sun."

"And the baby? Is he with you?"

"What are you talking about? Of course, we wouldn't leave him behind."