Chapter 4

The next morning, I took my transfer request to Principal Thompson's office at the kindergarten.

I didn't want Leo to stay in Liam's class. I was afraid he'd be a bad influence.

But the principal looked at my application with a troubled expression.

"Mr. Miller, actually, Mr. Liam is usually very attentive to Leo."

"And, I've heard from other parents that you're too strict with your son, and he's under a lot of stress."

I was stunned: "Other parents?"

As I walked out of the office, several parents who were usually active on the SnapChat group immediately gathered around.

"Mr. Miller, it's normal for young teachers to be close to kids. You shouldn't be so sensitive."

"Exactly. What dad isn't stressed about raising kids these days? You should be happy a teacher is willing to help out more."

It was then I understood: Liam had already painted me as an overly controlling man to everyone.

At the end of the hallway, Liam suddenly emerged from a storage room and cornered me.

"Ethan, do you know why Chloe likes me?"

I looked at him coldly: "Because you're a jerk."

He didn't get angry, instead he said softly: "Chloe says I'm like you when you were younger. But she also says you're too boring now."

He took a step closer.

"Chloe has actually told me a lot about you."

"Like your college roommate, and the person who took care of you after your surgery, and your old gym buddy."

"Chloe says every single one of them knew how to please her, how to make her happy, better than you did."

Liam chuckled scornfully, "Ethan, you're a real failure as a person."

My mind exploded.

All those years, what I thought were misunderstandings and coincidences, were actually all humiliations Chloe had carefully arranged for me.

I went home at noon, slamming my bag onto the couch, and confronted Chloe, who had just gotten off work.

"Is what Liam said true?"

"My college roommate suddenly moving abroad, my post-surgery caregiver bringing you soup in the middle of the night, and my gym partner leaving the group... was it all because of you?"

Chloe paused, her hand on her jacket, and frowned impatiently.

"Ethan, what's wrong with you? Those are all in the past, do we really need to dig up old dirt?"

She stepped closer to me.

"Didn't you already know what kind of person I am?"

"All these years, haven't you been the one clinging to this family, insisting on giving Leo a complete home?"

All those years of what I thought were misunderstandings, what I thought were friendships falling apart, were actually all chronic humiliations Chloe had inflicted on me.

In the evening, Leo returned from school.

He was carefully holding a handmade award medal made of colorful construction paper.

As soon as he walked in, he shouted excitedly.

"Mom, look at my medal, isn't it pretty? The class is having a parent-child event on Friday!"

I walked over, wanting to see his artwork.

But he stepped back, hugging the medal tightly to his chest.

"Don't touch it! Don't mess up the little flower on it, Mr. Liam helped me glue it."

My hand, suspended in mid-air, slowly withdrew. On the back of the medal, clumsily written in English, were the words:

Mom, Me, Mr. Liam.

Leo hugged the medal to his chest, looked up at me, and added softly.

"Dad, can you not come to the event on Friday?"

"I'm afraid you'll get upset again and make Mr. Liam angry."