All Chapters of The Child She Wrote out of Her Life: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

"Ethan, what are you spacing out for?"A hard slap on the shoulder jolted me out of my thoughts. Liam Yates stood beside me with a lesson plan in hand, giving me a puzzled look.I frowned, my voice coming out colder than usual. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"Liam paused, then gave my shoulder an exasperated shove."Come on, we've known each other since elementary school. It's just a habit. Alright, alright, Mr. Jepsen. You can stop glaring at me now."He gestured toward the hallway outside the classroom. "Your student is already here. They're waiting for you."I drew in a slow breath and tamped down the emotions churning inside me, but my hands still tightened into fists."Why don't you teach this one?" I said."What?"Liam stared at me as if I'd lost my mind."Dylan, you're kidding, right? I've read the kid's file. His case is pretty serious, and you're the expert in this field. You're obviously the better person for the job. I'm not sure I can handl

The argument inside the classroom grew louder by the second, and Liam was clearly on the verge of losing his temper.Before things could spiral completely out of control, I opened the door and walked in.The room fell silent at once.Yvonne turned around, and the moment she saw me, her frown deepened."Why are you back? This is a classroom. If you don't belong here, get out!"She waved me away impatiently.Liam looked surprised to see me, then gave me a questioning look. I shook my head and walked over to Ethan."Hi, Ethan."I crouched down until we were at eye level and spoke in a low, gentle voice. "Don't be scared. I'm one of the teachers here."Ethan timidly raised his head and glanced at me before quickly looking down again, though some of the tension seemed to leave his body."What do you think you're doing?"Yvonne immediately pulled him behind her and eyed me with suspicion. "Who permitted you to touch him? You can't even get your own condition under control. Don't m

Yvonne froze. "He's Dylan Jepsen? Don't lie to me.""His name is Ethan Jepsen. He's autistic and useless, so how could he possibly be an expert? You're the principal. Why are you helping him lie to me?""That's enough!"Kevin's face darkened as he fixed Yvonne with a stern look."Mr. Jepsen is a highly qualified special education specialist whom our school went to great lengths to recruit. He's also a renowned expert in child psychology."He's published numerous papers overseas on autism intervention and has successfully treated countless children like your grandson. If you continue making false accusations against one of our teachers, I'll call the police and have your family permanently banned from this school."Kevin's response caught Yvonne off guard, and she instinctively staggered backward.Before the standoff could continue, someone entered the classroom."Mr. Jepsen, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you."It was Penelope Keller of the prominent Griffin f

Friday was the school's parent observation day.Under school policy, parents and guardians were allowed to sit in on classes so they could see their children's progress firsthand.Yvonne came on Conrad's behalf."Dylan, I'm warning you. There are a lot of parents here today," she said under her breath before we entered the classroom. "You'd better make Ethan look good and not embarrass me. If he makes me look bad in front of all these people, you'll regret it."I flashed her a faint smile and straightened my collar."Don't worry. I promise today's lesson will be one you'll never forget."Once the lesson began, five or six families settled into the classroom. The other parents patiently guided their children, speaking softly and offering encouragement whenever they struggled.Yvonne was the only one who seemed completely out of place.Deep down, she had never been able to accept autistic children.Our first activity that day was stringing beads. It was simple enough for most ch