Whispers rippled through the class.

Jasper—the one who had actually taken the money—never dared to raise his head, his body trembling the entire time.

Mom gave me no chance to explain.

She took a sheet of paper from her table and, with a red pen, scrawled several crooked words across it: I will never steal again.

“Hold this and run five laps around the field,” she said coldly.

“If you can’t, don’t bother coming back to class.”

I didn’t dare resist, and even if I had, it wouldn’t have mattered.

No one would believe that the money had come from Mom.

They would only think she had placed justice above family ties—a truly good teacher.

I held up the paper and shuffled step by step along the rubber track.

Sweat ran into my eyes, stinging painfully.

Behind the classroom windows, I saw rows of heads pressed against the glass.

They watched me as if I were some ridiculous clown performing for their amusement.

The pride of a thirteen-year-old girl was hurt terribly.

By the time I finished the five laps, I was nearly collapsing.

Mom waited for me at the gate of the field.

There was not a trace of pity on her face.

All she said was, “If you dare to steal again, running laps won’t be the only punishment,” before turning and walking back to the classroom.

After that day, nothing in the class ever went missing again.

Privately, the students said that Mom was ruthless, but that it certainly worked.

Their gazes toward me carried a little more pity, but no one dared to get too close to me.

My thoughts returned to the present.

I floated beside my mother and watched her fingers trace the engraved patterns on the medal.

Smiling, she sent a message to my phone.

[I know you’ve been wronged, Evie.

[You’ve been my greatest contributor. Without you, how could the class atmosphere be this good?

[When I’m done at the ceremony, I’ll cook your favorite barbecue pork ribs. How about that?]

I stared at the words.

A soul couldn’t cry, yet I still felt like weeping.

She was always like this.

When no one else was around, she treated me a little better.

She called me her good daughter, slipped me some pocket money, and patted my head while telling me she loved me.

But the moment it involved her students, I became the sharpest blade in her hand.

I watched her expression darken as she waited for a reply that never came, and I spoke softly.

“Mom, the daughter who stole the money is dead. Are you happy now?”

…

During a break in the ceremony, Mom went to the restroom.

I followed her and watched her touch up her makeup in the mirror.

Her phone lay on the sink, its screen lit up with a chat conversation between her and the school director, Mr. Michael Fairfax.

[This time in the final exams, our class ranked first in the grade again for average scores. Thanks to you, Helena.]

[It’s only right. The children worked hard.]

[Oh, right—about that cheating incident last time. You handled it very promptly. Otherwise, the impact would’ve been terrible.]

[It was simply my duty.]

My gaze fell on the words, and my heart tightened as though gripped by an invisible hand.

That time had been during the midterm exam.

The proctor was a teacher from the neighboring class, focused entirely on the front of the room and oblivious to the student sitting ahead of me, secretly glancing at a small cheat sheet.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mom walk in through the back door.

She circled and stopped beside my seat, lingering there for a few seconds.

I assumed she was checking the discipline in the room and instinctively straightened my posture.

But then, I felt something fall beside my shoe.

Before I could even react, Mom suddenly raised her voice. “What are you doing, Evie?”

The entire exam hall fell silent in an instant, and every gaze turned toward me.

“Passing notes to cheat during an exam? You’ve got some nerve!”

Her voice was sharp and harsh.

I lowered my head toward the floor beside my shoe.

A small, unfamiliar slip of paper covered with answers lay there.

“Mom, it wasn’t me…” I said, panic rising until tears nearly spilled over.

I tried desperately to explain.

“That note isn’t mine. I don’t know how it got there…”

“Not yours?”

Mom let out a cold laugh and bent down to pick up the paper.

“The evidence is right here, and you still dare to argue?

“How have I been teaching you all this time?

“Cheating in the exam hall—have you no shame at all?

“You’ve completely disgraced me!”

She gave me no chance to explain and dragged me straight out of the hall.

Mom took me directly to the principal, Wanda Ambrose’s office, and exaggerated the story as she recounted the “facts” of my cheating.

Ms. Ambrose frowned and immediately recorded a disciplinary mark against me, saying the school would issue a public notice of criticism.

I stood to the side, trembling all over as silent tears slipped down my face, yet no one spared me a glance.

The next day’s class meeting became my public denunciation.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

Mom picked up the ruler, her tone icy.

“I didn’t do anything wrong…” I murmured in protest, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You still dare to talk back!” She raised her hand and struck my palm with the ruler.

The searing pain spread instantly.

Once. Twice. Three times…

The sound of the ruler striking my palm rang harshly through the silent classroom.

My palms quickly swelled red, and the pain made my whole body tremble.

The surrounding students looked frightened. Some quietly lowered their heads, unable to bear watching such a cruel scene.

I knew they wanted to speak up for me.

Cheating had once been common in the class, and everyone knew it, yet I had never taken part.

A few girls who were usually on good terms with me parted their lips, as if about to stand and say something, but Mom’s stern glare forced them back into their seats.

They could only lower their heads helplessly.

Only when Mom saw the fear on the students’ faces did she finally stop.

She placed the ruler on the desk and said coldly, “This is what happens when you cheat! Anyone who dares to follow her example won’t find me so merciful!”

After that incident, cheating in class disappeared completely.

My thoughts drifted back to the present.

After a while, Mom sent me another message.

[Evie, you didn’t come to the final exam, but I won’t hold it against you.

[You should at least reply to my message, shouldn’t you? Don’t make me worry, okay?]

I continued to drift in place, unable to leave, no matter how much I wanted to.

“Mom… I can’t come back.”

…

More than a month passed after the cheating scandal.

Just as the atmosphere in the class had begun to ease, the growing closeness between a boy and a girl caused the tension to return once again.

This time, Mom didn’t even bother with a private conversation.

At the start of the class meeting, she walked into the classroom clutching her lesson plans, her face dark with anger.

She slammed the plans onto her table with a dull thud.

“Recently, the atmosphere in this class has grown worse and worse. Some people are already getting into relationships at such a young age. Have they no shame?”

Her gaze swept across the class before finally settling on me.

“Evelyn Marlow, stand up!”

I froze in my seat, my fingertips clenching my chair until they turned pale.

“Mom… I didn’t…”

Just as I was about to defend myself, Mom strode quickly to my side and, in front of the entire class, yanked my arm.

“If not you, then who?” she whispered, her voice low so only I could hear.

“Cooperate with me. Right now, I’m your teacher.”

“Everyone, look!” Mom announced as she released my arm and pointed at me.

“It’s her! Her mind is all wrong. She never thinks about her studies, only about romance. She’s ruining the class atmosphere!

“You’re too young to get into any relationship!

“How shameless you are!

“How did I end up with a daughter who brings disgrace to our family!”

Whispers erupted across the room.

Following Mom’s accusations, I saw the boy and girl whose faces had turned pale, heads lowered, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

I knew Mom had been deliberate; she wanted to use me to strike fear into every student who dared to take chances.

She did not stop there.

She dragged a chair to the center of the class and coldly commanded me, “Kneel and read the class rules out loud.”

I stood frozen, my knees feeling as though filled with lead.

“I will not kneel.”

It was the last shred of dignity I had left.

“You dare refuse?”

Her eyes sharpened into a dangerous glare.

She stepped forward and pressed my shoulders down, forcing me to my knees.

My knees slammed against the hard floor, sending a stabbing pain through me.

She smiled with satisfaction and shoved the class rules into my hands.

“Read it now. Louder!”

I gritted my teeth, tears sliding silently down, blurring the ink on the paper.

I read each word, words that did not belong to me.

With every sentence, it felt as though a knife was slicing into my heart.

The students kept their heads down, no one daring to look up at me.

When I finished, Mom was still not done.

She pulled a pair of scissors from her bag, walked over, and grabbed my hair.

“If your mind isn’t on studying, why keep your hair this long? It only tempts others.”

Before I could react, she began cutting wildly.

The snip of the scissors was sharp and terrifying, strands falling to the floor and onto my shoulders.

I gave up struggling, letting her do as she pleased. The last spark of light in my heart went out completely.

From that day on, the students in class became more careful.

Boys and girls didn’t just avoid discussing schoolwork together; even normal conversations were measured and distant, fearful that Mom would mistake them for a romantic interest.

Not long after, the school selected the Best Homeroom Teacher.

My mother won the nomination for “effective discipline” and “excellent class atmosphere.”

What a perfect outcome.

That night, I developed a high fever.

I closed my eyes, tears sliding silently down my cheeks.

After the fever broke, I didn’t go to school.

I locked myself in my room, refusing food and water.

Mom came to knock, her tone impatient.

“Have you finished making a scene? Hurry to school. Don’t miss the final exam!”

I ignored her.

She lost her patience, kicked the door, and shouted, “If you don’t go, I’ll break your legs!”

Then she left.

I sat in my room, staring out at the sky.

The sky was so blue, the clouds so white.

I recalled how, when I was little, she used to take me to the park to play.