Distant cousin cried to me, saying that she was forced by her parents to marry a scumbag, who abused her after marriage, tortured her, and now she has nowhere to go.

Looking at her face, similar in age to mine but with a lot of vicissitudes, I felt a bit of pity. I thought that my family was missing someone to take care of my young daughter, so I agreed to let her stay at my house. As long as she takes good care of my daughter every day, we will pay her according to the standard market rate. She quickly thanked me.

At first, when she came, she seemed very restrained, doing things seriously. She wouldn't step into our study or bedroom, and she didn't touch any of the entertainment facilities at home. Even my usually indifferent husband praised my cousin for being honest and hardworking.

I started to like my cousin more, often chatting with her about family matters. She was quite clever and quickly grasped the likes and dislikes of the family members, to the point where my daughter sometimes felt closer to her.

As time went by, once I saw that my cousin was managing the household very well, I threw myself into my career.

However, recently, I noticed that my cousin was acting a bit strange.

She started to imitate my dress style, copying various small gestures of mine, even her favorite foods became the same as mine.

Late at night, she would always be in the bathroom, looking in the mirror and muttering, "This part doesn't quite look like it yet, wait a bit longer, wait a bit longer."

Then she would show a look of obsession.

When she saw me, she would put on a shy smile and explain, "I've been feeling a bit itchy on my face lately, so I came to check in the mirror."

I understood a woman's desire to be beautiful, so I didn't think much of it.

These days, due to working late, I would often come home after my daughter had already fallen asleep. Every time I came home, I would find my cousin sitting on the couch watching a movie, always the same movie about someone replacing another person.

Watching my cousin focus on the movie, it had been a long time since I had noticed her, and I found that she was uncannily getting younger, even starting to look familiar. So, jokingly, I said, "Cousin, I noticed you've been getting younger lately."

My cousin smiled knowingly and touched her face. "Really? I didn't notice, maybe your family's feng shui is good for people." She continued, "I really envy you, Ayu. When we were studying, you were the best in the family. Your parents love you, and now you've found an excellent, wealthy husband and have a cute daughter. If I were you, that would be great. But soon, I'll also have good days."

After listening to my cousin's words, I felt somewhat uncomfortable, but I still comforted her, "The days will only get better and better."

After saying that, I went straight back to the room without looking at my cousin's expression.

That night, I had a nightmare and woke up startled. In the dream, I was locked in a small box, while another person replaced me, living happily with my family. I woke up in a cold sweat.

I was about to get a glass of water to calm down, but suddenly realized there was someone standing by the bed. I was scared, but upon closer inspection, I found that it was my cousin.

I questioned her about why she came to our room, and she nervously explained that she heard some noise and came out to check, which led her to our room.

I told my cousin to go back and not come into my room again. My cousin hurriedly agreed.

I rubbed my mildly throbbing forehead, feeling puzzled by how my cousin had quietly entered our room, while I didn't hear a thing. I remembered that the door was always locked every day. Did I forget today?

Since that day, I started to pay more attention to my cousin.

Whenever she cooked, she would hum songs that I liked and make dishes that my husband and daughter loved.

During meals, my cousin would constantly be serving my daughter and husband as if I weren't there. As I looked at my increasingly familiar face in the mirror, I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. My cousin was beginning to look more and more like me, but I recalled that my cousin didn't used to be like this, or did I remember wrong?

Feeling a bit dazed, I told my husband, and he then remembered, "Now that you mention it, I also think that Cousin looks quite like you. I've mistaken her for you several times, but siblings looking alike is quite normal, isn't it?"

I was a bit angry at my husband's lack of concern, but when he realized I was serious, he quickly reassured me,

"Since you think that Cousin has been acting strangely lately, then let's find her another place to stay. We still have a few empty houses in our family. Let her move in there, and when she finds a place of her own, she can move out."

I nodded, with no other option. I had planned to have a good explanation with my cousin, but the sudden turn of events disrupted the plan.