That night, Tiffany’s excitement from visiting the O’Neill home hadn’t worn off. Still, she knew she had to be strategic. Alex was clearly devoted to Naosa, and any direct approach would likely fail catastrophically. If she tried to seduce him and he rejected her, she’d lose everything. No—she had to be much more clever.
Her plan was deceptively simple—and quietly cruel: she’d go through the children.
“Are you proud of me, Bianca, sweetheart?” Tiffany asked one evening.
“Of course, Mom! You work so hard for me all by yourself,” Bianca replied innocently.
“Thank you, darling. You know, Tracy’s daddy works so hard too. He has to pick up and drop off his children because their mommy just stays home doing nothing—she’s so lazy. That poor man,” Tiffany said with an exaggerated sigh. “Maybe you and Mommy could help Tracy’s daddy more. He’s truly pitiful, working so hard while his wife does nothing.”
Day after day, Tiffany kept planting the seeds. “You and Tracy are so close—like real sisters. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could live together? But Tracy has such a lazy mom…” Every talk came back to the same poison: Naosa was lazy, Alex was suffering, and somehow this justified Tiffany’s growing obsession.
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Bianca, trusting her mother completely, began parroting those lines to Tracy. “Your dad is wonderful, just like you always say. But your mom doesn’t do anything—she’s so lazy. She doesn’t work, and she doesn’t even pick you up from school. Your poor dad has to do everything.”
Taking Tracy’s small hand, Bianca would continue, “You’re closer to me than to Lila, right? We’re like real sisters. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could always be together?”
At first, Tracy flinched at the cruel words about her mother. But slowly, like water wearing away stone, the constant repetition began to take effect.
At home, Tracy started questioning Naosa. “Why don’t you pick us up from school?” and “Why don’t you work like other moms?” The questions grew sharper, more hurtful.
Then came the moment that cracked something deep within their home: “Mom, are you lazy?”
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Alex exploded with fury. “How dare you say that about your mother! Mom thinks about us constantly and does countless things for our family! She works hard every single day. We should be grateful to her—how could you possibly call her lazy?!”
Tracy, completely unaccustomed to her father’s anger, burst into hysterical tears. Naosa immediately tried to calm both Alex and Tracy, but when she reached out to comfort her daughter, Tracy pushed her hand away.
“Leave me alone! I hate you, Mom!” Tracy screamed, collapsing to the floor.
Naosa stood frozen, shaken by the venom in her six-year-old daughter’s voice.
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Day by day, Tracy’s behavior toward Naosa deteriorated. She barely touched the meals Naosa lovingly prepared—her old favorites left untouched. Each rejected plate felt like a rejection of Naosa herself, and she grew increasingly disheartened.
Naosa blamed herself entirely. She had never known her own mother, who had died when she was very young. Perhaps she simply didn’t know how to be a mother at all. The thought tormented her.
Travis and Aaron, however, remained constant sources of comfort. “We love you, Mom!” they would say with bright smiles, as if sensing their mother’s pain.
When Naosa tried to discuss Tracy’s behavior with Alex, he waved it off. “Tracy’s perfectly obedient with me. Girls can be strong-willed at this age. I remember my sisters acting the same way when they were young. She’ll grow out of it.”
His casual dismissal only deepened Naosa’s sense of isolation.
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Then came an invitation: a farewell concert in France led by a world-renowned conductor. She had initially declined, worried about leaving her three children, but the conductor personally reached out again. He wished to perform with “Queen Séraphine” one last time before his career came to an end.
Naosa secretly longed to accept. Geneviève also encouraged her not to refuse such an opportunity. But it would mean leaving the children for at least two weeks, including rehearsals.
When she brought it up with Alex, his response was firm and final.
“You’ve got three kids now. Two weeks away is too much. The answer is no.”
Each time she tried again, he’d cut her off with the same words: “It’s already decided. No.”
Already frustrated by Tracy’s attitude and now facing her husband’s stubbornness, Naosa refused to back down for once. After several heated arguments, Alex grudgingly agreed to two weeks—no more.
“I’ll arrange for a nanny,” Naosa said, though secretly she wished her family could come with her to France. She thought that seeing her perform might help Tracy understand and appreciate her talents. But Alex showed no enthusiasm for the idea.
Still, she quietly prepared the children’s passports, just in case he might change his mind.
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Before her trip, Travis and Tracy’s sixth birthday arrived. Having made many friends during their first year of kindergarten, they decided to host a proper party at home. The twins wrote and delivered invitations to their classmates while everyone helped with preparations.
Invitations were also sent to their paternal grandparents, Simon and Nancy, in the UK, who gladly agreed to make the trip. Naosa was especially looking forward to seeing Nancy, who had become like the mother she’d never had.
Naoaki, Kazu, Lu, and Kacy would naturally be there as well.
On the day of the party, professional catering had been arranged, but Naosa also spent days preparing an array of homemade treats to delight the twins. Her creations looked professionally made: delicate sandwiches, perfect scones, colorful muffins, decorated cookies, silky puddings, and flawless macarons—all almost too beautiful to eat.
There were two elaborate birthday cakes, each adorned with the twins’ favorite characters.
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As friends arrived with presents and birthday wishes, Lila and Marianne were especially delighted by the beautiful spread. Travis proudly told anyone who would listen, “Mommy made all of these!” He carefully entrusted little Aaron to Naoaki’s care, asking his grandfather to make sure Aaron didn’t eat anything before the other guests.
When Tiffany and Bianca arrived, Tracy immediately ran to them and insisted on sitting at their table. Tiffany had brought a simple chain-store cake—a stark contrast to Naosa’s elegant creations.
“Isn’t this cute?” Tiffany said loudly, showing the cake to Tracy. “It has a little bear on top. I thought you’d love it, Tracy. Though with all these fancy sweets here, I suppose it wasn’t really needed.”
Tracy’s response was telling. “Daddy! Come here! Uncle Kazu too—let’s take a picture!”
Alex, unsuspecting, joined them at their table. Tracy positioned herself between Bianca and Tiffany around the store-bought cake and asked Kazu to take the photo.
Kazu reluctantly took the picture—Alex, Tracy, Bianca, and Tiffany posed around the cake like a family.
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Tiffany laughed triumphantly. “It looks just like a family photo, doesn’t it?”
As Kazu walked back toward Naosa, he quietly deleted the image. I can’t show this to Nao, he thought, watching his sister’s strained smile. What has Alex gotten himself into?
Meanwhile, Travis kept praising his mother’s efforts. “Mommy, this is so delicious! Thank you for making everything so special.” Lu and Kacy shared Kazu’s growing concern about the family dynamics they were witnessing.
Later, Tracy asked Kazu to see the photo. He gently made an excuse. “Sorry, sweetheart, I couldn’t save it properly.” Tracy looked genuinely disappointed.
“Your mommy’s treats are absolutely delicious,” Kazu said, trying to redirect her attention.
“Yeah, they taste good,” Tracy shrugged. “But Mommy doesn’t do important things like other moms. She’s lazy.”
Kazu was stunned. “Tracy, how can you say something so cruel about your mommy? All the delicious food, the beautiful clothes, the clean home you take for granted—Mommy works hard to give you all of that every single day.”
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Tracy pouted defensively. “Bianca’s mommy says those are just things you can pay other people to do. Working outside the home is what’s really important. Daddy is a famous scientist, and Uncle Kazu is a famous pianist, right? Mommy’s the only one who can’t do anything special.”
Kazu’s heart broke for his sister. “Tracy, your mommy can do anything she sets her mind to. She was my piano teacher too—I only started loving music because Mommy taught me when I was young.”
Tracy, who deeply respected her accomplished uncle, looked surprised by this revelation.
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That night, Naosa confided her heartbreak to Nancy. She felt Tracy didn’t respect her because she wasn’t a good enough mother, and that Tracy envied what other mothers had to offer.
Nancy held the crying woman tightly. “You’re a wonderful mother, my dear. Children don’t always develop as parents expect—it’s not your fault. Both parents and children grow by making mistakes and learning. It’s perfectly normal. You’re my beloved daughter, and I’m so proud of you.”
She comforted Naosa for a long time before confronting Alex. “What exactly are you doing?” Nancy demanded angrily. “How can you be so blind to what’s happening in your own home?”
Lu and Kacy also spoke to Alex as they were leaving. “They say fathers are soft on their daughters,” Lu said pointedly, “but this is becoming ridiculous, Alex.”
Kazu added with disappointment, “Alex, you once promised you’d never make Nao sad. What happened?”
Alex seemed genuinely baffled, offering a dismissive “I understand” that made it clear he didn’t.
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Kacy’s parting words were sharp: “Look at Nao’s face properly, Alex. Have you stopped caring about her just because she’s ‘yours’ now and you have children? Is she just taken for granted now?”
Nancy confronted him again the next day with the same concerns.
But Alex remained oblivious, thinking to himself: Nao’s the only woman I’ve ever loved. Why can’t they see that?
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