Chapter 3
At the end of the hallway, by the bathroom, Leah was shoved to the ground.
She was sobbing, gasping for breath.
Jacob was hitting her head with a stick, yelling, “Stop calling him Dad! He’s not your dad!”
Like he hadn’t given full vent to his anger, he even kicked Leah’s stomach twice.
Leah screamed in pain, trying to get away, but a boy behind her held her back.
“Bitch! You deserve this!”
“My mom says your mom ruined our happy life!”
Leah flailed her hands in resistance, out of breath from crying. “You’re lying!”
I rushed over and grabbed Leah, pulling her close.
The boys, probably noticing the fierce look on my face, ran off in all directions.
Holding Leah, I could feel her shaking all over.
I instantly called for an ambulance.
“Everything’s okay. Sweetie, I’m here,” I whispered to Leah, trying to calm her down.
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When the ambulance showed up other parents were all nosy about what was going on
I sprinted with Leah in my arms towards the ambulance.
As we rushed by, Antonio was grinning, playing with Jacob with building blocks, and Sophia was there, dabbing sweat off his forehead.
When he heard the commotion, he looked up in confusion and got up to come over.
“What happened? What’s wrong with Leah?” he stopped me and asked.
Sophia tugged on his hand.
“Don’t get involved. You said you’d spend the day with Jacob.
“I told him you’d be with him all day, and he was so excited.”
Antonio hesitated.
I took Leah into the ambulance.
She had fainted, and the doctors began administering first aid on the way to the hospital.
When a female doctor lifted Leah’s dress to check her, she gasped in shock, “Who would hurt such a little kid like this?!”
I burst into tears right after hearing that, covering my mouth, with my hand.
Leah was shaking uncontrollably, and the doctor urgently told me, “Madam, please move to the back. We need to start the
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emergency treatment
It took three hours to get Leah stable.
My mother also dashed to the hospital
Upon seeing Leah, she started to sob. “Who did this to Leah? I’m going to the policet
“T’ll make sure they go to jail, I promised my mom.
Leah, who had been put on an IV drip, slowly opened her eyes and looked at me, confused. “Mom, why didn’t Dad protect me?”
I kissed her forehead and said, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I’ll always protect you. You’re my most beloved treasure.
“As for your dad, I’ll ensure he faces punishment,” I affirmed to Leah.
When I got back to the kindergarten, the activity day was concluding with its final event.
Families were painting a picture of home.
Antonio was patiently coloring the drawing while Jacob quietly nestled in his arms. Sophia looked content as she took photos of them.
I stormed over and grabbed Sophia’s hair, slapping her across the face twice.
She fell to the ground with a thud, hitting her head on the corner of a table behind her.
The sound of the slaps shocked everyone.
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Chapter 3
Antonio shouted, “Grace, have you lost your mind?”
He took Sophia in his arms, looking at her with concern. “Sophia, does it hurt?”
Sophia started crying and pleaded with me, “Grace, did I do something wrong? I apologize if I did.”
I said coldly, “You’re going to do more than just apologize. You’ll pay for what you’ve done.”
As I raised my hand to slap Sophia again, Antonio tried to stop
- me.
But I swung around and slapped him instead, leaving a clear red mark on his face.
He held his cheek, stunned for a moment, then screamed furiously, “Grace, you bitch!”
The teacher hurried over to stop the fight and asked me what was happening.
I pointed at Jacob, seething. “I’ve called the cops! Sophia’s son and his buddies beat up my daughter!”
Before I could finish speaking, Sophia urgently interjected, “No way! Jacob is a good kid. Antonio, you’ve got to trust me!”
I inched closer. “No way? Then why was the ambulance here just now?!”
Antonio stood in front of Sophia and Jacob again, acting like their shield. “Kids can’t mean any harm. They just roughhoused. But you’re making a big deal out of nothing and even resorting to violence. What a vixen!”
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Seeing how furious I was, Antonio pushed me to the ground.
My hand scraped against the floor, and it started to bleed.
Everyone else was on Antonio and Sophia’s side.
“Just talk things out. Don’t fight!”
“The Kaufman family is loaded. You can’t afford to mess with them!”
When three fancy business cars pulled up at the kindergarten, they finally stopped criticizing me.
Someone couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “There’s the Sunwing Group’s logo on the cars. They’re for the management!”
“Mr. Kaufman is really something. He’s got the company’s lawyers here already.”
Sophia seemed to have the same idea.
She looked at Antonio with a mix of surprise and affection, and the boy next to her was thrilled too.
He spat at me, gloating. “You’re screwed. My dad’s going to put you in jail!”
