A month had passed since we had formally moved into our new role as a family of three.

Bringing young Ioana home was a process that took Mihai and I several months of planning, paperwork, and visits to her home. Although she was reserved, she possessed a spark that we anticipated would soon become more prominent. I was prepared to shower her with all the love that she deserved because I was her mother.

This made Mihai very happy. After years of suffering through the pain of trying to have a family, we finally met Ioana through adoption, which felt like a gift from fate. However, after only a few weeks of our new life together, I became aware of something that was disconcerting.

When Ioana stared at Mihai, she did so with a peculiar anxiety, and she clung to me. I soothed myself, which led me to believe that she was simply adjusting.

Finally, while I was folding laundry one afternoon, Ioana turned her head to look at me and spoke in a gentle voice. To her mother, she said, “Do not put your faith in Daddy.”

My heart was beating as her words caused me to go immobile. There was no animosity; rather, it was a hushed, infantile warning. I got down on my knees and pleaded in a soft voice, “Why, sweetheart?”

Before responding, she gave a brief smile that was marked by a trace of melancholy.

“He’s not who he says he is,” she responded with a little grin that concealed her sadness. Her lips twisted into a sorrowful smile.

Confused, the I proceeded to inquire after that. “O Ioana, what exactly do you mean? Your father adores you. When did something take place?

It was with reluctance that she twisted the hem of her shirt, her hands being little. The words “He pretends” were spoken by her in a low voice. The orphanage is where… I was able to see him. The man was enraged.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. “Are you angry? When did this occur?

It appeared as though Ioana was having difficulty putting her thoughts into words as she gazed down. “Prior to your arrival. It was he who was present. A shout was directed at the woman who was taking care of us. He made some negative comments about me.

Her words were illogical and confused. There was never a single mention of Mihai going to the orphanage by himself. I believed that he and I had completed each and every stage of the procedure jointly up to that point.

Sweetheart, that is not even remotely doable. Would it be possible that you saw someone else who resembled Daddy.” I said, attempting to reassure both myself and her at the same time.

Iuliaa gave a hard shake of her head. “He was the one. He was a terrifying individual. I am able to recall his voice.

Although I wanted to brush it off as a child’s misunderstanding, I couldn’t do so because of the sincerity with which she expressed herself. In the later part of the evening, I sneaked into Mihai’s office while he was playing with Ioana in the living room. My instincts told me that I needed to get answers.

His laptop was open, and I noticed that there was a folder on it that was titled “Personal.” Inside, I discovered emails that had been sent and received by a person from the orphanage. An email that was sent to me several months before we had the opportunity to meet Ioana made my stomach turn:

Regarding the behavior of Ioana, there are some concerns.

Could it be that she is not a good fit? Let’s talk about the other possibilities.”

In light of the fact that Mihai appeared to be so enthusiastic about the adoption process, why would he now have misgivings about Ioana? And I was wondering why he hadn’t informed me about these conversations.

I quickly shut down the laptop after hearing Mihai’s footsteps approaching from a safe distance. There were a lot of questions running through my head, but one thing was crystal clear: I needed to know the truth.

On that particular evening, while Mihai was sleeping, I hushed Ioana and said, “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll make sure you stay protected.

To what end had Mihai acted? And why did Ioana have such a strong fear of him?