Chapter 1367:
“Evelina, I don’t believe you would do something like that without a reason. You must have been treated unfairly.”
Evelina’s lips began to tremble. Fresh tears gathered in her eyes, but she fought hard to hold them back.
“He said I don’t have a father.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but each word landed like a blow. “He said my dad abandoned us for another woman. He said… he said I can’t even bring my dad here.”
Melany felt a sharp sting behind her eyes.
She opened her arms and drew her daughter in, holding her close and tight, as though she could fold Evelina entirely into herself and shield her from the world.
“I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
She had always told herself that she alone would be enough for Evelina. But reality had made clear today that her daughter was still too young to bear the sting of others’ words without being wounded. She needed a complete family. The guilt settled into Melany’s chest like a stone.
𝗝o𝘪𝗇 оu𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝘮𝘂𝘯𝗂𝘵𝗒 𝗈n 𝘨𝗮𝗹𝘯𝗈𝗏е𝘭s.𝗰𝘰𝗺
Evelina’s small fingers curled into her mother’s clothing. She couldn’t hold back any longer. She buried her face against Melany’s neck and broke down entirely.
“Evelina, you did nothing wrong.” Melany’s voice was rough but steady. “Mommy is here. No one will bully you.”
Across the room, Liam had long since stopped crying. He sat tucked against his mother’s side, working his way through a lollipop and smacking his lips contentedly every now and then.
His mother wore her hair in perfectly sculpted curls. A camel-colored coat — clearly expensive — was draped over her shoulders, and a glittering watch caught the light at her wrist. Everything about her projected an unmistakable air of someone accustomed to getting her way.
From the teacher’s account, Melany had gathered that Liam’s mother, Cailyn Wagner, held a mid-level management position at a listed company in Crolens, while her husband was a partner at a well-regarded investment firm. In a kindergarten where social standing shaped everything, Cailyn clearly considered herself firmly at the top of the hierarchy.
She sat with one leg crossed over the other, patting her son’s back at leisurely intervals, and let her eyes drift toward Melany. Her gaze moved over Melany’s understated clothing and the plain bag in her hand. A faint, condescending smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
“So you’re Evelina’s mother?” Cailyn said, her voice unhurried but pitched just loud enough for everyone in the office to hear. “Your daughter pushed my son to the ground. Look at his wrist — it’s completely red.”
She pulled up Liam’s sleeve, revealing a faint mark that was easy to miss unless you were looking for it.
Mariana stepped forward at once to examine it, then exhaled quietly in relief. “Fortunately, the skin isn’t broken. It should fade soon.”
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