Not long after, the preschool's Family Day officially kicked off. Each family took their seats at the pre-assigned tables.
Hannah looked toward the front row, where Samantha was sitting, and asked, a little disheartened, "Why isn't Mommy sitting with us?"
I gently pinched her chubby cheek. She was still so young, and she shouldn't have to be part of this mess.
"Because Daddy's a superhero. So, to be fair, Mommy went to help the other kids," I said softly.
Just then, the teacher, Sophia Lane, stepped forward to announce the first activity—block-building. She smiled warmly. "There's a prize for the winner—a LEGO spaceship!"
Hannah's eyes lit up instantly. She pointed at the prize, her voice bursting with excitement. "Daddy, I want that one!"
"Alright. Then, let's win it," I replied, smiling.
Later, as the timer's final grains of sand trickled down, Hannah's hand shot into the air as she shouted, "Ms. Lane, we're done!"
Sophia walked over, nodded in approval, and was just about to make the announcement when suddenly, a little boy darted over from the front row.
It was Neville. He rushed up and knocked down the tower we had just built, looking smug as he declared, "Now I'm in first place!"
Hannah stared at the collapsed blocks, her eyes filling with tears. In a burst of anger, she grabbed one of the large wooden pieces and hurled it at Neville.
Samantha came running over, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Hannah! How could you hit someone? Say sorry to Neville right now!"
Hannah stood her ground. "No! He knocked over my tower first! He's the bad guy!"
I stepped in behind her, backing her up. "Samantha, anyone with eyes can see who started it. Neville should be the one apologizing to Hannah."
Oscar followed behind and tugged gently at Samantha's arm. "Come on, Samantha. Let it go. They're just kids, so there's no need to make a big deal out of this."
Sophia tried to step in and smooth things over, but before she could, Hannah suddenly burst into tears, her voice trembling with hurt.
"Mommy, why didn't you protect me? Why were you mad at me?"
That one word—Mommy—sucked the air out of the room, and everyone froze. All eyes shifted between Samantha, Oscar, and me.
Samantha's face flushed and paled in quick succession. Meanwhile, Oscar looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.
Then, Neville planted his hands on his hips and glared at Hannah, shouting sharply, "She's not your mommy! Don't call her that! She's my mommy!"
Hannah hiccuped through her tears, her sobs breaking into high-pitched cries. "Mommy, say something!"
My heart broke for her. I shot Samantha a hard glare, my voice turning sharp. "Samantha, aren't you going to explain? Are you going to let people misunderstand it forever?"
Samantha's eyes snapped wide, and she scooped Neville into her arms.
"What am I supposed to explain? Today, I am Neville's mom," she said, and even patted the back of his head affectionately.
In an instant, the other parents began whispering, pointing at Hannah and me. "Why's that little girl calling the wrong woman 'Mommy?'"
"Hannah's family never showed up to Family Day before, right? Now it's just the father… Maybe he's someone's side piece."
"Word is that Samantha's some big corporation's manager—she's loaded. Maybe Mr. Neel's just trying to marry into money. It looks like the kid saw something she wasn't supposed to."
As all that gossip swirled around us, Samantha didn't say a word to stop it. She just stood there, gently rocking Neville in her arms.
Oscar stood beside her, barely hiding the smug smile on his face as he glanced over at me.
I pulled Hannah close, her sobs shaking her tiny body as I gently patted her back. The urge to slap these two selfish, pathetic excuses for adults boiled inside me, but now wasn't the time. I couldn't let Hannah get hurt any more than she already had.
That was when one of the suck-ups cozying up to Samantha said with a greasy grin, "Wow, the little prince looks like you, Ms. Miller. You can tell they're related."
I lifted my gaze toward Samantha. For just a second, guilt flickered in her eyes before she forced out a laugh. Oscar, on the other hand, looked like he was on top of the world.
I'd seen Oscar and Neville plenty of times before. So, why was I only now noticing that Samantha and Neville indeed shared some similar features?
Beside me, Hannah was still crying uncontrollably. Having no other choice, I asked Sophia to take us to the break room so I could calm her down.
Once there, I held her, rocking gently until she finally dozed off. Looking at her face, eyes swollen from crying, I felt my heart twist into a painful knot.
Quietly, I stepped out of the room and rounded the corner of the hallway. I pulled out my phone and made a quick call to the HR department and the legal department.
"Eugene, Terry, bring the marriage certificate, the drafted divorce papers, and her termination letter. Come to the preschool now. Quickly!"
As I continued discussing the details with them, a sharp, terrified scream suddenly tore through the air.
It was Hannah's voice. In that instant, my heart dropped like a stone.
