I Realized That the Boy Pretending to Be My Son Was Not Really Him, but His Carbon Copy

Alice’s ten-year-old son, Adam, started drawing strange pictures of two identical boys. When she asked him about it, Adam said the drawings were of him and his twin brother. Alice found it puzzling because Adam didn’t have a twin. Soon after, Adam vanished, and when he returned, Alice realized the boy was not her son but someone pretending to be him.

One evening, Alice, a 32-year-old realtor, picked Adam up from school. Her husband Simon spent long hours managing their family café, but despite his absences, the family of three was close-knit. Adam, who had autism, was their adopted son. He’d known about his adoption since the age of seven, a discovery that left him curious but not upset.

Adam was different, but his parents loved his uniqueness. He loved drawing, reading, and spending time with Rocky, their dog. One night, while cleaning his room, Alice found Adam’s sketchbook. Inside were drawings of two boys who looked like twins. In one picture, the boys played together; in another, they stood smiling in front of a school.

When Alice asked Adam about the drawings, he calmly explained, “It’s me and my twin. His name is Arthur. We play together after school.”

Alice was confused but decided to meet this “twin.” The next day, she went to Adam’s school early, but instead of seeing a twin, she found Adam was missing. His teacher, Mrs. Cage, said Adam had told her he wasn’t feeling well and that Alice was taking him to the doctor.

Alice panicked and searched everywhere with Simon, but they couldn’t find Adam. Hours later, Mrs. Cage called to say Adam was back at school. When Alice picked him up, she asked where he’d been. Adam explained he’d been bullied by some older kids but had escaped.

At home, Rocky barked aggressively at Adam, which was unusual because the dog adored him. Later, Alice noticed Adam was acting strangely. He ate beans, a food he used to hate, and wore a shirt she didn’t recognize. She also saw a bracelet from an amusement park they had never visited.

When Alice voiced her concerns to Simon, he dismissed them, thinking Adam’s behavior was due to stress. But the next day, Adam’s teacher called again, saying he was acting out. He’d performed poorly in class, fought with a classmate, and seemed unlike himself.

When Alice picked Adam up, she noticed blood on his shirt from the fight. While helping him clean up, she realized something shocking—Adam’s birthmark was missing. This boy wasn’t her son.

“Who are you?” she demanded. The boy finally admitted, “I’m Arthur. They took Adam. Now it’s his turn.”

Arthur explained he was part of a group that exploited children for money, forcing them to beg. He had befriended Adam at school and convinced him to switch clothes as a joke. While Adam was taken to their hideout, Arthur had taken his place.

Alice immediately called the police, but by the time they arrived, Arthur had escaped. Desperate to find Adam, Alice recalled the amusement park on Arthur’s bracelet and decided to investigate. At the park, she spotted a group of men forcing Adam into a car.

She called 911 and followed the car in a taxi. The chase led her to an old warehouse. There, a man confronted Alice and revealed their operations didn’t involve children with families. Still, they planned to harm her and Adam to avoid exposure.

Inside the warehouse, Alice found Adam tied up. She tapped out an SOS signal on a pipe, hoping someone would hear it. But before help could arrive, the captors put sacks over their heads and moved them into a car.

Just as all hope seemed lost, police sirens blared, and the criminals were caught. To Alice’s surprise, Arthur had alerted the police after escaping. He’d decided to help after realizing how much family meant to Adam.

“Why did you come back?” Alice asked Arthur.

“I wanted to feel what it’s like to have a family,” he admitted softly.

Two months later, after completing the adoption process, Alice and Simon officially became Arthur’s parents. Their family had grown, and they were determined to give both Adam and Arthur the love and safety they deserved.