Chapter 57:


    Belle sat in the front row wearing a white pantsuit that cost more than Isolde’s car. Her hair was blown out to perfection. She looked ready to ept an award.


    Isolde sat in the back, in the shadows. She wore jeans and a ck turtleneck. She wasn’t there to be seen.


    On stage, ten children sat on stools. Kaiden was swinging his legs, looking bored. Effie sat perfectly still, her hands folded in herp.


    A teacher stood at the podium. “This is a visual memory test. I will show a slide for ten seconds. Then I will ask a specific question.”


    ???????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???? ??????????????????.??????


    The screen shed. A chaotic jumble of shapes filled it — red circles, blue squares, green triangles, and random numbers scattered between them.


    Ten seconds. The screen went ck.


    “Question,” the teacher said. “What was the shape in the third row, second column, and what is the sum of all the even numbers on the screen?”


    Silence. The children looked confused. One boy started to cry.


    Kaiden looked at the ceiling. He hadn’t even nced at the screen.


    Effie raised her hand. Her voice was small but steady. “Blue triangle. The sum is 48.”


    The teacher blinked. She looked at her answer key. Her eyes widened.


    “That… is correct.”


    A ripple of murmurs moved through the crowd.


    Belle leaned toward the tutor sitting beside her. “She guessed,” she whispered harshly. “It’s a fluke.”


    “Next slide,” the teacher said. “Five seconds this time.”


    sh. ck.


    “How many prime numbers were yellow?”


    Effie’s hand shot up. “Three. The number 7, the number 13, and the number 2.”


    “Correct.”


    The murmurs grew louder. Parents turned in their seats, craning their necks to see the small girl in the navy dress.


    Kaiden was growing restless. He kicked the stool beside him.


    The teacher, sensing the tension — and perhaps remembering who had paid for the new gymnasium — turned to Kaiden. “Kaiden, here is a question for you. From the first slide… what color was the biggest circle?”


    It was a softball question. A gift.


    Kaiden froze. He looked at the audience. He looked at Belle.


    Belle’s eyes went wide. She mouthed the word Red and pointed to her red lipstick.


    Kaiden squinted. “Uh… green?”


    The silence was excruciating. Someone in the back coughed.


    “Incorrect,” the teacher said gently. “It was red.”


    Belle’s face flushed a deep, ugly crimson. She stood abruptly, grabbing her purse. “I need to use the restroom,” she announced to no one in particr, pushing past the knees of the other parents.


    Isolde watched her go. She waited a beat, then followed.


    She found Belle in the hallway, pacing frantically with her phone pressed to her ear.


    “I don’t care!” Belle was hissing. “Get the questions for tomorrow! Buy them from the printer! Bribe the janitor! I am not letting my son be humiliated by that… that mute!”


    Isolde leaned against the wall. “Cheating is an expensive habit, Belle.”


    Belle jumped. She spun around, nearly dropping her phone. “You! You were spying on me!”


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