Chapter 2

In the principal's office, he poured us some water.

I didn't touch the water he poured. I just pieced the torn test paper back together on the desk.

Then, I took my daughter's hand and showed him the deep red scratch marks on her wrist.

He stared at the paper and the scratch marks in silence for a long time before looking up at me and saying slowly, "It's our fault. Please give me three days, the school will thoroughly investigate and deal with this matter. I promise to give you and your daughter a satisfactory resolution in three days."

I looked at the expression on his face, a mix of apology and anger, then glanced down at my daughter who was dozing off in my arms.

"Okay," I said, "I'll wait for three days."

I took leave from work to stay with Tina.

She did not cry or speak. She just sat in a corner, staring at a spot on the wall, motionless.

When I fed her, she would open her mouth, chew, and swallow without blinking.

I stared at my phone, unlocking the screen every few seconds to make sure there were no missed calls.

All my hopes rested on that phone call that would never come.

On the afternoon of the third day, instead of receiving a call from the school, I received a call from my company's HR manager.

"Ms. Sanders, I want to see you immediately."

In the office, my boss and the HR manager were both there.

A printed email was pushed in front of me, the title glaring: "A Notice Regarding the Misdemeanor of Ms. Sanders, an Employee of Your Company, Who Maliciously Slandered a Teacher at Our School."

I read the whole thing.

In the email, I was described as a "crazy woman" who barged into the office, insulted the teacher, and threatened the principal.

The scratch marks on my daughter's wrist became evidence that I had taught her to "harm herself to gain sympathy."

At the end of the letter, the school "kindly" reminded the company that an employee of my "morally corrupt" nature could adversely affect the company’s reputation.

The edges of the paper were crumpled by my tight grip.

"The email was sent to the public complaint mailbox. The entire company could see it."

The HR manager's voice contained no warmth, "Our company attaches great importance to our employees' ethics."

I felt cold all over, my voice trembling, "This is slander! They bullied my daughter..."

"Enough!"

My boss interrupted me impatiently, "I don't care about your family issues! The problem is, your personal problems are now affecting the company's image! It's unprofessional!"

I stared at him in silence.

My gaze made him uncomfortable. The HR manager cleared his throat and pushed a document towards me.

"Given the adverse impact you’ve caused the company, please sign this."

I reached out but couldn’t hold the paper.

It slipped from my fingers and fluttered to the ground.

I returned home feeling numb.

In the mailbox was a registered letter from the school.

When I tore it open, a piece of paper fell out.

It was an expulsion notice.

Reason: The student is mentally unstable. She colluded with her parent to fabricate facts, maliciously slander a teacher, and disrupt classroom order.

My phone lit up; it was a class group message.

Ms. Watson posted a new group photo of the math Olympiad class. She and the children were smiling brightly.

The caption read: "Having cleared out the bad apples, we are once again an excellent group! The victory belongs to all of us!"

Below were the parents’ uniform praises and likes.

"Thank you, Ms. Watson!"

"I support Ms. Watson! Nothing can be accomplished without rules!"

I snorted.

This was the satisfactory resolution they promised me.

I held the dismissal letter and the expulsion notice, looked at that annoying photo, and laughed with tears in my eyes. I laughed until I trembled all over, and my stomach cramped.

"Mom?"

My daughter stood behind me, staring at the two pieces of paper in my hands.

Her gaze moved from the dismissal letter to my tear-streaked face.

Her body swayed, and she steadied herself by holding onto the door frame.

"Mom," she asked softly, her voice sounding hollow, "Did you lose your job because of me?"