Sophie nestled in my arms. “Mom, as long as you’re happy, I’m fine.
I just want you to be happy and not have to put up with anything unfair.”
Tears streamed down my face.
She understood everything, even without me saying it.
That night, we checked into a hotel.
She was clearly exhausted from everything that had happened—she lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.
I, on the other hand, tossed and turned, unable to sleep the entire night.
Ethan and I had been together for many years before getting married, and he had always treated me well.
But lately, his behavior had changed.
He’d changed the password on his phone, was constantly “working late” or “on business trips,” and even when he was home, he would lock himself in the bathroom for long stretches of time.
Several times, I’d overheard him talking on the phone in there.
When I asked, he said it was work.
Looking back now, I’m certain he was chatting away with Rachel Moore.
During my three months in the hospital, Ethan visited only a handful of times.
I never blamed him—I thought he was busy taking care of our daughter.
I never imagined that the child he was caring for wasn’t ours, and that our own daughter had been pushed out of her home and forced to work in the scorching summer heat.
The thought made my chest ache. I looked at Sophie sleeping peacefully and gently pulled her into my arms.
The next morning, she was still half-asleep when I carried her to the car to take her to school.
When we arrived, the teacher on duty was calling names from the roster, lining the children up before taking them inside.
But as the list came to an end, Sophie’s name was never called.
Puzzled, I approached the teacher. “You didn’t call Sophie Carter?”
The teacher glanced at me—polite but distant. “I’m sorry, Sophie Carter is not registered at our school. She can’t attend here.”
I was stunned. “That’s impossible. She’s been attending here all along.”
Several parents nearby gave me looks of disdain.
One said sharply, “Parent, do you even know what’s going on?
This is Newton Elementary—the best in the district. Without a property in the school zone, your kid can’t enroll.”
“Even if you have the property, tuition is tens of thousands a year. Can you afford that?”
Another scoffed, “Trying to bluff your way in? Ridiculous.
If making a scene worked, why would the rest of us spend hundreds of thousands to buy a district property?”
I insisted, “She’s been studying here all along—there must be a mistake.”
Sophie was starting to panic, and then she burst into tears.
At that moment, a familiar voice behind me snapped, “Olivia, what are you doing here making a scene? Don’t you know you’re embarrassing yourself?”
I turned and saw Ethan’s sullen face.
I ignored his tone and said, “This teacher says Sophie’s not enrolled here. That’s impossible—we were here for parent-teacher conferences just last term. There has to be a mistake.”
Ethan gave a small cough. “It’s no mistake. I transferred Sophie to another school.”
My mind went blank. “You what?”
Ethan said matter-of-factly, “Lucas just came back from abroad. His academic foundation is weaker, and he needs a higher-quality school.
But our property only allows for one admission slot, so I had to transfer Sophie elsewhere.”
Fury surged through me, and I slapped him hard across the face.
In front of everyone, the man who prided himself on his image completely lost his temper.
He shoved me hard. “What the hell are you doing?!”
