Chapter 1

On Halloween, our family went on a day trip. But somewhere along the way, we realized our daughter was missing.

I called the police in a panic. When the officers arrived, I had barely explained what happened before my mother-in-law contradicted me.

“You didn’t even bring your daughter. You left her at your mother’s house. Why are you calling the police?”

The officer paused, then his expression turned stern.

“Ma’am, what exactly is going on? Filing a false police report is a crime.”

Sweat broke out across my forehead as I rushed to explain.

“My daughter came with us. My mother-in-law loves playing Halloween pranks. She’s lying. Please don’t listen to her!”

The officer nodded and was about to start searching when my mother-in-law interrupted again.

“Officer, what you don’t know is that my daughter-in-law is mentally ill. She’s made false reports several times before.”

I shook with anger. I wanted to tape her mouth shut.

My mother-in-law loved Halloween pranks. Every year, she used them to turn our entire household upside down.

Before we left, I had warned her over and over not to pull anything. I never imagined she would start again at a time like this.

Thinking of my daughter, who was still missing, I stepped forward and shoved her.

“How can you still be thinking about your stupid Halloween pranks? If we don’t find my daughter, I will never forgive you!”

I barely touched her, but she stumbled backward as if she were about to fall.

“You saw that, officers. My daughter-in-law really does have mental problems.”

“Before we left, I specifically asked her mother to take good care of my granddaughter. Here, see for yourselves.”

She pulled out her phone and showed them a screenshot of a conversation.

It showed her telling my mother that morning that my daughter wanted scrambled eggs for lunch.

I stared at my mother’s reply in disbelief.

Impossible!

My daughter was allergic to eggs. My mother-in-law had never cared enough about her to know that.

But my mother knew. She would never have agreed.

I immediately tried calling her to confirm.

Unfortunately, her phone was switched off.

I paced frantically, telling myself to stay calm.

Then something occurred to me. I snatched my mother-in-law’s phone.

The screenshot’s timestamp said eight o’clock the night before.

But the conversation was supposedly from this morning.

“Officer, look! She faked this screenshot. Please don’t believe her. Please help me find my daughter!”

My fingers trembled as I begged.

“She has asthma. If she has an attack and none of us are there to help her, she could die!”

The officer looked between us suspiciously.

Seeing how desperate I was, he finally nodded.

But just as they were about to start searching, my mother-in-law spoke up again.

“Oh, officer, I can’t watch this anymore. I only faked that screenshot because I didn’t want her to fool you.”

“The ‘daughter’ she keeps talking about is actually a dog!”

She even showed them a picture of our dog.

The officer’s face darkened.

“What is going on here? Calling the police is not a joke. Stop wasting our time!”

By then, a thick crowd had gathered around us.

After hearing my mother-in-law’s story, people began criticizing me.

“You called the police over a dog? And lied about your daughter going missing? That’s disgusting!”

“Exactly. She’s old enough to be a mother. She should know better.”

“At least her mother-in-law has some sense. This woman is unbelievable!”

My vision blurred with rage.

“How can you still be lying? Even Halloween pranks have limits!”

I turned back to the officer, struggling to keep my voice steady.

“Yes, we have a dog. But I really do have a daughter. Look!”

I found a photo of the two of us.

In it, my daughter had her arms around me, smiling brightly.

Only then did the officer nod. He turned angrily toward my mother-in-law.

“Ma’am, stop lying. You could face legal consequences if something happens!”

She laughed, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

“Sorry, everyone. It was just a Halloween prank. I didn’t realize you’d all take it so seriously.”

I had barely started to feel relieved when, just two steps later, she spoke again.