To the entire team at St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio: no one gets to see what goes on behind the curtain, but without you, there is no book. I appreciate all of you. To Thomas Mis, who suggested Samantha Desz to narrate the audiobook of my first novel, then my second, and now my third. Samantha, your work is truly exceptional, and there’s nothing more thrilling than hearing the interpretation of my work through your voice. A special thank-you to Erica Martirano and Mara Delgado-Sanchez—I hope this is just the beginning of working together. To the writers I’ve come to know over the last year or so: Kimberly Belle, David Bell, Emily Carpenter (who has the most amazing house I’ve ever seen), Wendy Walker, Zoje Stage, Kimmery Martin, Jeremy Finley, J. T. Ellison, Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke, Ami McConnell, R. J. Jacobs, and so many others I’ve crossed paths with—thank you for the continued inspiration, advice, and conversation. And to all of the amazing authors who took the time to read and blurb this book—you rock. A special thanks to my media coach, Mary O’Donohue: everyone should be so lucky to work with a coach like you.

A special thanks to Jessica Zweig for braving her insane Chicago schedule to come away with me to the mountains so I could write the last forty thousand words of the first draft of this book in a single day—all of which were promptly trashed and rewritten, but still … Little did you know you were creating something spectacular that will soon live in the world too. Working with you for so many years has expanded me in ways I can’t even articulate, but working next to you in the mountains was a revelation.

I must also extend a very special thank-you to JC Childree, childhood friend turned trusted cop, whom I bombarded with detective questions about this very “strange” case. You supplied hard facts for how Rebecca would be treated by her local precinct when dealing with a swapped child and zero evidence.

And a super special thank-you to the trusted beta readers who speed-read this and gave me incredible feedback: Andrea Nourse, Aimee Pinard, Missy Block, and my amazing Nashville writers group. Thank you to Joe Tower, for giving this the polish it needed and for your insightful, unparalleled eye.

I also want to extend a very special thank-you to the #bookstagram community on Instagram. This group of passionate readers has really made such a difference both personally and professionally, and every writer appreciates all that you do! Thank you to my publicity team, who works so hard to spread the word. Thank you to my trusted life coach, Elizabeth Pearson, who makes me believe I can do anything. Everyone should have a mentor in their life like you.