Upon hearing Keen''s words, instead of thinking he was being unreasonable, everyone looked at him with sympathetic eyes.


    Their nces toward Ste, however, were much more nuanced.


    If her own son wouldn''t choose his mom, it spoke volumes about her as a mother.


    It was evident that perhaps she had been too indulgent with her child.


    The teacher responsible for Keen let out a soft sigh.


    "From the moment little Keen transferred to our kindergarten this semester, I thought..."


    The teacher looked at Ste, her words fading away. Although Keen had provided his mother''s contact details, Ste had never shown up.


    The teacher then looked at Rachel. It was Ms. Pearce who had handled Keen''s enrollment, and she attended the parent-child events at the kindergarten. Ms. Pearce had even picked Keen up several times.


    The teacher had assumed this woman was Keen''s mother.


    Reflecting on Ste''s earlier attitude, the teacher thought Ste was incredibly irresponsible.


    In her heart, she started to believe that Ste was one of those women who married into wealth, spending her days shopping, ying cards, and indulging in spa treatments, while neglecting her child.


    Ste remained silent, yet she bore the weight of everyone''s disapproval. Rachel''s eyes gleamed with quiet satisfaction as she watched.


    Just then, a small voice suddenly spoke up. "Ste, you''re here."


    Ste lowered her gaze and looked at Marvin, who was hidden behind the crowd, her cool, calm eyes softening.


    She knelt down to Marvin''s level and gently asked, "Marvin, are you alright?"


    The moment Marvin saw Ste, his eyes turned red. "Ste, I''m okay," he said, lowering his head like a child caught in mischief. "I''m sorry, I... I hit Keen."


    Marvin cleaned his tears. As he lifted his arm, his sleeve slipped down, revealing several old scratches on his arm.


    Ste''s eyes narrowed, and she suddenly grasped Marvin''s arm. "Marvin, what happened to your arm?"


    A flicker of panic crossed Marvin''s eyes, and he instinctively hid his arm behind his back, his gaze darting around. "Ste, it''s nothing... I just identally scratched myself..."


    Ste''s expression grew stern. "Marvin, let me see."


    Marvin hesitated for a few seconds, but under Ste''s insistent gaze, he finally extended his arm.


    Ste rolled up Marvin''s sleeve, revealing awork of crisscrossed scratches on his arm, shocking everyone present.


    The teachers gasped. If Marvin had been hurt at kindergarten, they would all bear some responsibility if they couldn''t find out why.


    After examining Marvin''s injuries, Ste asked, "How did this happen?"


    Marvin avoided Ste''s eyes, murmuring, "I just wasn''t careful..."


    "Marvin, tell me the truth."


    Marvin''s lips parted slightly, as if he were about to speak-but in the end, he just dropped his gaze in silence.


    Ste spoke soothingly, "Marvin, don''t you trust me?"


    With Ste''s gentle encouragement, Marvin finally raised his head. He took a


    deep breath and nced at Keen.


    "Ste, it was Keen."


    Everyone was stunned.


    Keen''s eyes widened in anger. "You''re lying, it wasn''t me! You hit me first, lots of kids saw it!"