All Chapters of Defending My Daughter: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

The call was cut off, and all that remained in the receiver was the sound of a busy tone.Tina's sobs ceased, and she just stared at me, her eyes hollow.I dressed her, took her cold hand, and headed straight to school.The laughter inside the math Olympiad office stopped abruptly when I pushed the door open.Several teachers looked over. The teacher surnamed Watson was leaning back in her chair, sizing me up with an impatient sneer."Whose parent are you? It's our break time."Without a word, I walked over to her desk and slammed the pieced-together test paper in front of her.The pieces scattered across the table.The red "0" stood out glaringly under the light.She chuckled, pinched one of the pieces with two fingers and held it up to her eyes. "Oh, this? What's the matter? Do you have a problem with my grading?""3 times 5 and 5 times 3 are both equal to 15, are they not?" I asked, staring into her eyes."Ha, of course."She tossed the paper back onto the desk."But th

My daughter's question made my heart tighten.Before I could respond, there was a loud bang at the door.When I opened it, I saw Ms. Watson and Director Lee from the math Olympiad program.Director Lee was holding a cardboard box with a smile on her face that did not reach her eyes.Meanwhile, Ms. Watson leaned against the doorframe, contemptuously looking us up and down."Ms. Sanders, I'm here to deliver your daughter's stuff."Director Lee forcefully shoved the box into my arms, causing me to stumble back. The books inside the box spilled out.At the top of the spilled books was a painting by my daughter, one that had won an award, now marred by a clear, muddy shoe print."Can't leave anything behind. Our school believes in finishing what you started," she said, her mouth twisted with heavy mockery. "Furthermore, we wanted to 'communicate' with you in person."She casually adjusted her scarf."We're sorry your daughter has been expelled, but you need to reflect on yoursel

In the car, silence enveloped us.Tina nestled in my arms, her small face softening against my heart, finally regaining some color.The streets outside the window rapidly receded, like they were a world away.Suddenly, my phone rang, piercing the silence.The ID on the screen was: Principal.I looked at Rick. I thought he would immediately hang up, but to my surprise, he pressed the speaker button.The principal’s greasy and insincere voice came through, dripping with feigned generosity, "I'm willing to give you one more chance, Ms. Sanders. Have your daughter write a thorough reflection letter admitting that she lied and harmed herself to frame Ms. Watson, and I might consider allowing her to return to school as an observer. As for your job... young people should learn that impulsiveness comes at a cost. But if you cooperate, I might explain to your company that it was just a misunderstanding."He paused, his tone condescending, "After all, it's not easy being a single mother.

In front of the live-streaming camera, the large office was eerily silent. There was only the sound of heavy and frantic heartbeats.My daughter Tina, who had previously been deemed "emotionally unstable", was now the only judge.She was still trembling, but when my hand covered hers, when she saw the encouraging look in Rick's eyes, light was rekindled in her hollow eyes.Standing in front of the enormous whiteboard, she picked up the pen. In the live stream, the comments surged."Oh my god, they're asking a child to do it? That's so cruel!""What's going on? The child is scared silly!""What are the parents doing?!"Then, Tina spoke.Her timid voice still carried a sob, but it was incredibly clear. "3 multiplied by 5 means there are 3 plates, and each plate has 5 candies on it."With much difficulty, she drew three wobbly circles on the board and marked five little dots in each circle."So, there are 15 candies in total."Then, she drew five smaller circles and marked th