"Eve Spencer, I just got into an accident. I hit someone, and I think he's your son!"

The day after getting her driver's license, my best friend, Esther Lawson, insisted on driving alone to pick up her son from kindergarten.

I warned her that the road was full of heavy trucks and told her to practice a few more days.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I'm a great driver!"

She floored the gas pedal and sped off.

Not long after, she called me. She was crying so hard she could barely breathe.

She said she hit a child at the kindergarten. The boy's face was covered in blood, and he looked like my son.

I froze. My son had a fever today. He didn't even go to kindergarten.

So who had she hit?

There was a buzzing sound in my mind. I spoke without even realizing it.

"W-What did you just say?" I asked.

"I drove in to pick up my son, but I hit the gas instead of the brake and ran over a little boy. His face was covered in blood. He was wearing that blue hoodie just like the one your son always wears–"

I was about to explain when Esther Lawson cut me off.

"Eve Spencer, just get over here now! I swear I didn't mean to do it!"

She hung up right away after saying that.

I didn't have time to think. I grabbed my coat and ran out.

By the time I arrived at the kindergarten, my mind was still spinning.

A crowd had gathered in the yard. A white car was parked diagonally on the playground. A child was lying in front of it.

His body looked small curled up. The blue hoodie he had on was soaked through with blood.

Esther crouched nearby while she cried. The moment she saw me, she ran over and tried to hug me.

"Eve! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm not a good driver–"

Looking at the horrid scene, I felt furious.

"Didn't I remind you that the road condition wasn't good today? You insisted on driving. Now this happened. What's the point of saying all this?"

Esther covered her face and cried even harder.

I ignored her and walked toward the child.

He was lying on his side with his face down. I couldn't see his facial features clearly, but that blue hoodie really did look exactly like my son's.

I crouched down and was about to turn him over, but the moment my fingers touched his shoulder, he suddenly moved.

"Mmph. It hurts!"

The groan was very soft. It almost sounded like a kitten's cry.

He was alive.

My heart jolted. I snapped my head up. "He's alive! Call emergency services right now!"

Esther froze for a second. Her expression went blank.

"He's alive?"

"Yes! Hurry and call emergency services!" I fumbled for my phone, but Esther didn't move.

She stood still. Her facial expression changed again. Suddenly, she stepped forward and grabbed my hand.

"Eve, don't act rashly.

"He's badly injured. There's probably internal bleeding. If you move him, he might die even faster."

She lowered her voice and spoke very quickly. "Look at him. This is probably just an involuntary reaction from his body. He's not going to make it. Let's not waste medical resources."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm speaking the truth!"

Her grip tightened around my wrist. "If you call emergency services and he dies in the hospital, we'll have to pay a massive medical bill! And once this gets out, my driving license will definitely be revoked. I'll never be able to drive again!"

I stared at her like I was seeing her for the first time.

"That's someone's life we're talking about! You hit him!"

"I know! But didn't I tell you? I didn't mean to do it!"

She raised her voice too. "Eve, we've been best friends for years. Can't you think about me for once?"

"You've lost your mind!"

I shrugged her off and dialed emergency services.

"Hello, emergency services? This is–"

Before I could say anything else, someone snatched my phone away.

Esther hung up and clutched it tightly.

"Are you crazy, Eve? I told you he won't make it! Are you trying to ruin my life?"

I was trembling with rage.

Just as I was about to fight her for the phone, I heard hurried footsteps from behind.

"What's going on? What happened?"

I turned around and saw the principal, David Brown, running over with several teachers.

I ran over to them like I'd found a lifeline. "Mr. Brown, please call emergency services! A child's been hit. He's still alive!"

David's gaze landed on the child lying on the ground. His expression changed slightly.

"Calm down. Let me take a look."

David turned around and said something to a male teacher behind him.

The teacher nodded and quickly left.

I asked anxiously, "David, did you call emergency services?"

He ignored my question and looked at Esther instead.

"Are you the child's mother?"

Esther shook her head and pointed at me. "She is. I'm her best friend. I-I was the one who hit him."

David nodded before turning to look at me.

"Don't panic. I've already asked our school doctor to come over. Let him check on the child first."

I froze. "The school doctor? Aren't you calling for an ambulance?"

"Even if we do make that call, it'll take time. We might as well let the doctor take a look first. Don't worry. Our doctor is very experienced."

Something felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Within a few minutes, a middle-aged man in a white coat hurried over with a medical kit.

"David, what happened?"

David pointed at the child. "Car accident. Check if he can still be saved."

'Check if he can still be saved? Why did that sound so wrong?'

The doctor crouched down, lifted the child's eyelids, and felt for his carotid pulse.

The entire process took less than thirty seconds.

He then stood up and dusted off his hands.

"He can't be saved. His pupils are already dilated. Find somewhere to bury him."

I heard a buzz in my head.

"What did you just say?"

I lunged forward and grabbed his collar. "You barely checked him, but you already came to a conclusion? Did you even examine him properly?"

The doctor staggered back. He clearly looked irritated.

"Are you the doctor here, or am I? If I say he's gone, he's gone. What's there left to check in this condition?"

"That's nonsense!" My eyes turned bloodshot. "He was still alive! I heard him say it hurt just moments ago!"

"That was a nerve reflex. It's involuntary." The doctor shook off my hand and straightened his coat. "If you don't believe me, check for yourself. See if he's still moving now."

I dropped to the child's side. My hands trembled as I touched his face.

It was cold. He really wasn't moving anymore.

My tears overflowed immediately.

Although this wasn't my son, he was still a living, breathing child just moments ago.

I stood up and stared angrily at David.

"I'm calling the police. This is a matter of life and death!"

David's expression darkened instantly.

"Are you crazy? If this gets out, our kindergarten's reputation will be ruined! Who would ever send their kids here again?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "We're talking about someone's life here!"

"He's already dead!" David raised his voice too. "What's the point of calling the police now? Will that bring him back?"

Esther stepped closer and grabbed my arm.

"Eve, Mr. Brown is right. Don't act rashly. Your son is already dead anyway. Making this a big deal won't help anyone."

I shook her hand off.

"Shut up!"

She stumbled back but didn't get angry. Instead, her voice softened.

"Eve, I know you're upset. But you have to think about the bigger picture. We'll take care of the funeral. We'll pay for everything and make sure nothing's left out."

David nodded. His tone softened a little too.

"How about this? The kindergarten will pay 10 grand, and your friend will pay another 10 grand. 20 grand in total. You take it, and we'll put this matter behind us."

'20 grand?'

I looked at them like they were monsters.

"That's a human life. Do you think you can settle it with 14 grand?"

Esther sighed somewhat impatiently.

"Eve, can you stop being so stubborn? I've apologized, and I'm willing to pay. What more do you want? Will you not let it rest until I'm in prison?"

David nodded. "Exactly. The dead can't come back to life. You need to move on. 20 grand is a lot. A life isn't even worth that much in rural areas."

'A life isn't even worth that much in rural areas?'

I could feel my blood boiling.

"Just you wait. I'm calling the police right now."

I reached for my phone, but then remembered it had been taken by Esther.

"Give me my phone back!" I yelled.

She instinctively took a step back before hiding it behind her.

"No. You can't call the police!"

"Give it to me!"

I lunged at her. She screamed and dodged backward.

David shouted nearby, "Stop her! Hurry, stop her!"

Two teachers ran over and grabbed my arms, one on each side.

I struggled with everything I had, but I couldn't break free.

A trace of coldness flickered in Esther's eyes.

"Eve, don't blame me. I'm doing this for your own good. Once you calm down, you'll understand you're better off accepting the 20 grand than blowing things up."

"You hit someone, and you're stopping me from calling the police. How's that better?"

I stared at her, but she looked away.

It had already felt strange when she insisted on driving today.

She used to be terrified of driving. She had even delayed getting her license for years because of it.

David sighed. "Enough. Stop making a scene. The boy is already gone. There's no point causing trouble here. Fine, let's add another 5 grand. 25 grand in total. That's my final offer. Take the money, go home, and sort out the funeral."

I looked at them and suddenly laughed.

"Mr. Brown, do you even know who that boy is?"

He frowned. "Isn't he your son?"

Esther also turned to look at me.

I smiled.

"My son had a fever today. He never even came to kindergarten."

Esther's expression froze.

"What did you say?"

"I said my son's sick today. I left him at home with my mom.

"He never came to school."

Esther suddenly became agitated.

"T-That's impossible! That boy was wearing your son's hoodie! I saw it clearly!"

"The hoodie might be the same, but the person wearing it isn't," I said.

David reacted the fastest. He immediately changed his tone.

"Oh! So it's all a misunderstanding! Then whose child is this? Hurry, contact the parents!"

As he spoke, he turned to the teachers. "Go check which child didn't show up today. Find out who he is!"

I looked at him coldly. "You said earlier it was my son and wanted to settle it privately. Now that you know it's not, you're suddenly eager to find the parents?"

The smile on David's face stiffened.

Esther's expression changed. As if something occurred to her, she stepped closer and tugged at my sleeve.

"Eve, I was wrong earlier. Don't take it to heart. Since he's not your son, this has nothing to do with you anymore. You should head home. We'll handle it."

'Nothing to do with me?'

I looked at her face. It suddenly felt terrifyingly unfamiliar.

"When you snatched my phone earlier, why didn't you say it had nothing to do with me?"

Her expression faltered.

I couldn't be bothered to deal with her. I turned around and walked toward the child.

No matter whose child he was, I couldn't just leave him lying there.

But after only two steps, a voice came from behind me.

"That's not right. I remember your son did come to school this morning."

I froze.

"What did you say?"

A teacher nearby hesitated before speaking.

"I was at the gate this morning to welcome the kids. I saw your son come in. He was wearing that blue hoodie."

My heart sank.

"That's impossible! My son has a fever. He didn't come today!"

"I really did see him!" the teacher insisted. "I even greeted him, and he said good morning to me!"

Another teacher nearby nodded.

"Yes, I saw him too. He even waved at me."

I stood in stunned silence. I heard a buzzing sound in my mind.

Esther looked at the teachers before turning to face me. She slowly began to smile.

"Eve, didn't you say your son didn't come? Why did so many teachers see him?

"It can't be all of them seeing things, right? Eve, are you so upset that you're remembering it wrong?"