2

Malisa’s POV

Just like any other day, I finished breakfast. When Eric was about to take Serena to school, I stopped him.

“Serena’s hair is a bit messy. Let me fix it.”

I took my daughter to the bathroom, closed the door, and lifted up her shirt. Her skin was smooth and flawless, without a single bruise. Nothing like the scarred body I had seen in my previous life.

So, what was going on? How could her body be covered in fresh and old bruises just hours later?

“Honey, are you done yet? Serena's going to be late,” Eric called from outside the door, interrupting my thoughts.

I opened the door and looked at him. “I’ll take her to school today.”

Eric looked a little confused but smiled and said, “Alright, thanks, babe.” He didn’t hesitate, turned around, and started cleaning up the table. His reaction was so normal that it didn’t raise any suspicion.

But the more he acted like this, the more determined I became to uncover the truth.

On the way to school, I couldn’t help but ask Serena, “Has anyone at school ever bullied you?”

Serena smiled sweetly. “No, I’m really popular at school. Everyone likes playing with me.”

I paused before asking again, “And your teacher? How does she treat you?”

“Our teachers are great! My homeroom teacher even tells me stories and gives me little gifts.”

Her answer was cheerful, her innocent face beaming with happiness.

I pulled the car over, looking at her seriously. “And what about Mommy? How do you feel about me?”

Without hesitation, Serena’s big, clear eyes stared up at me. “Mommy is the best! I love you so much.”

She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Serena loves Mommy the most!”

I hugged her tightly, not saying another word, and drove her the rest of the way to school.

When we arrived, her homeroom teacher was waiting at the entrance.

“Serena’s mom, what a surprise to see you today! How come you have time to drop her off?”

She smiled warmly, holding Serena’s hand.

“Work’s not too busy today,” I said with a smile, carefully watching the teacher’s face.

She crouched down, playfully tapping Serena’s nose. “Look at how much your mommy loves you, taking time off work to bring you to school!”

The teacher’s behavior was warm and genuine. Even the way she looked at Serena was filled with real affection, not the slightest hint of pretense.

The more sincere she seemed, the more confused I became. In my previous life, I had a good relationship with Serena’s homeroom teacher. She was always kind, and the children loved her. I had even tried to take her out for dinner a few times to thank her for looking after Serena so well, but she always politely declined, saying it was her duty as a teacher.

In my mind, she was the perfect, responsible, and fair teacher.

But hours from now, this same seemingly kind and gentle woman would stand in front of everyone and accuse me of being a heartless, abusive mother.

I couldn’t figure out where things went wrong.

There were only three hours left until Serena would jump to her death.

I sat in my car, drenched in sweat, thinking about how lively my daughter was, soon to be a cold, lifeless body. In my previous life, everything had happened so fast, I had no time to stop it.

But this time, I wouldn’t let history repeat itself.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Serena’s teacher, I left. But I didn’t go far. I parked nearby and kept watch from a distance.

The school day had already started, but I stayed in my car, desperately trying to piece everything together. How had I gone from doing nothing wrong to being branded as a monstrous mother?

Why did Serena leave home perfectly fine, only to be found with years' worth of scars after just a few hours at school? And why did both Eric and her teacher suddenly turn on me, accusing me of unimaginable things?

The questions circled in my mind, and the more I thought about it, the more confused and lost I felt.

I knew something was terribly wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what.