The Jump That Broke Me Chapter 2

I ate my breakfast as usual. When Markus was about to take our daughter to school, I stopped him.

"Lily's hair is a bit messy. Let me brush it for her."

I led my daughter into the bathroom and closed the door.

Without a word, I lifted her shirt.

Her skin was smooth as jade, without a single bruise. It was a world away from the scarred body of my last life.

So, what went wrong?

Why, in just a few hours, would her body be covered in injuries, both new and old?

"Honey, are you done yet? Lily's going to be late."

Markus's voice, accompanied by a knock on the door, pulled me from my thoughts.

I opened the door and looked at him. "I'll take her to school today."

A flicker of confusion crossed his face, quickly replaced by a gentle smile. "Okay, honey. Thank you for doing that."

He turned and began clearing the table without another word. His reaction was so normal, so unremarkable, that it was chilling. The more normal he acted, the more desperate I was to find the truth.

On the way to school, I couldn't help but ask my daughter, "Lily, has anyone at school been bullying you?"

She smiled sweetly. "No, Mommy. I'm very popular at school. Everyone likes to play with me."

I paused. "What about your teachers? Are they nice to you?"

"My teachers are all very nice! My homeroom teacher even tells me stories and gives me little presents."

Her answers were natural and cheerful, her young face a picture of happiness.

I pulled the car over and looked at her seriously. "And what about me? How do you think Mommy treats you?"

She looked at me with her clear, wide eyes and answered without hesitation. "Mommy is very nice to me too."

Then she leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Lily loves Mommy the most!"

I hugged her, saying nothing more, and drove her to the kindergarten.

Her teacher was waiting at the gate.

"Lily's mom! What a nice surprise to see you bringing her to school today." The teacher greeted me with a warm smile, taking Lily's hand.

"It's a slow day at the office," I replied, smiling back while subtly observing her.

She crouched down, still smiling, and playfully tapped Lily's nose. "See, Lily? Your mommy loves you so much. She's so busy with work, but she still made time to bring you to school."

The teacher's demeanor was friendly and natural. Even the way she looked at my daughter seemed genuine and full of affection. She didn't seem like a two-faced hypocrite at all.

But that only made me more confused.

In my last life, I had a decent relationship with this teacher. She was kind, treated my daughter well, and was always smiling. The kids in her class adored her. I had tried to treat her to dinner several times to thank her for taking such good care of Lily, but she always refused, saying it was just her duty as a teacher. In my mind, she was a dedicated, fair, and excellent educator.

Yet this same upright and easygoing woman, in just a few hours, would publicly accuse me of being a monster who abused her child.

I couldn't figure out where it all went wrong.