Chapter 3

Nora's POV

I gripped my phone as memories of my past life violently crashed into my mind.

Back then, a classmate mocked Skylar, and she smashed a chair over his head. I was the one who apologized, rushed to the hospital, negotiated the settlement, and paid over $50,000. Throughout it all, Vanessa claimed she couldn't take time off work, and Ethan kept pressuring me to make the problem go away.

This time, I had absolutely no intention of going to the school.

"I'm out of town on a business trip and can't make it back today," I said calmly. "Here is the contact information for her mother, Vanessa. Please call her directly."

The teacher hesitated. "But she isn't answering."

"She is Skylar's legal guardian. The school must contact her first."

Shortly after I hung up, Skylar called, sobbing hysterically. "Aunt Nora, can you please come? Or send Uncle Ethan? Mom says she's at work and has no time."

"Tell me exactly how you hit him."

"I just... shoved him with a chair," her voice trembled. "They're saying they're going to call the cops. I don’t want to go to jail!"

"Skylar, don't panic," I softened my voice artificially. "Underage fights are usually settled by the guardians paying compensation. Your mom will handle it. Ethan is at work today and can't leave the office either."

She cried, "Are you just refusing to help me?"

I paused for a few seconds. "It's not that I'm refusing. This time, it's your mother’s responsibility."

As soon as the call ended, Ethan’s name flashed on the screen.

"What exactly are you doing?" he demanded furiously. "Skylar is in trouble, and you won't even go to the school? How can you be so irresponsible to just leave her out to dry?"

Holding my phone by the boarding gate, my voice turned ice-cold. "Her own mother doesn't care. Why should I go?"

"She's at work! She'd lose pay if she took a day off! You're her aunt, shouldn't you help? You're just selfish. You only care about your own daughter and never treat Skylar like family!"

I stood in the airport corridor, realizing for the first time that the man I’d known since high school was a stranger to me.

"Since you know how selfish I am, don't bother asking me for help."

I hung up and muted my phone.

Over the next few days, the school contacted Vanessa repeatedly, and she deflected every time.

"I'll lose money if I take time off. It’s just kids fighting, why is the school blowing this out of proportion?"

When teachers told her the victim was hospitalized and required a parent to sign liability and insurance forms, Vanessa just hung up.

Ethan paced the living room. "I'll go to the school."

Ray and I spoke at the exact same time. "Under what authority?"

Ray's voice wasn't loud, but it hit like thunder. "You aren't her biological father, nor her legal guardian. If you go, whose name are you signing?"

Ethan's face drained of color. He stood rooted to the spot and didn't move again.

While organizing bills, I discovered a bank card under Ethan's name that I had never seen before. The statements showed that on the 1st of every month for the past five years, a fixed amount of money was transferred out.

I pushed the statement toward him. "What is this?"

"I loaned it to a coworker to help them out."

"Which coworker needs a loan every single month for five years?"

He avoided my eyes. "It's company business. Leave it alone."

I didn't press. I just photographed every single transaction on my phone.

That weekend, I flew back a night early. I waited until Ethan left the house to place my luggage by the front door, pretending I had just arrived.

Skylar ran to me the second she saw me. "Aunt Nora, what do I do? Mom refuses to go to the school, and the other parents are going to sue. Will I go to jail?"

"No," I patted her head. "Guardians handle compensation. You just cooperate with the investigation."

I knew perfectly well the victim's family had completed an injury assessment. The financial liability was inescapable.

I called Vanessa on speakerphone right in front of Skylar. "You need to go to the school. The other kid is in the hospital. This isn't something an apology can fix."

"They're just trying to extort money," Vanessa said impatiently. "Skylar caused this mess. Just watch her for a few days, I'll deal with it when I have time."

"Your daughter might face a lawsuit."

"That's a minor issue. Stop bugging me, I'm at the amusement park with Cody."

A child's scream echoed through the phone.

"Mom, I want chocolate ice cream!" Cody yelled.

Vanessa immediately cooed, "Okay, okay, Mommy will buy it right now. Don't cry, baby."

Standing beside me, Skylar heard every word. The color drained completely from her face.

"Are there really parents in this world... who don't love their own kids?"

Swallowing a cold laugh, I offered superficial comfort. "Everyone expresses love differently. Your mom is just busy right now."

But I remembered my past life. I had given everything to care for this child, cleaning up every mess she made. Yet, simply because I reprimanded her a few times, she twisted the truth, accusing me of abuse. Vanessa relentlessly defended her and cursed me for being cruel.

That was when I learned that some people treat your kindness as an entitlement.

That night, an email popped up on my phone.

The DNA test results were ready.

I had submitted Skylar's hair and Ethan's toothbrush. I scrolled straight to the bottom line. It read:

Probability of biological paternity between the two subjects is 99.99%.