After Rebirth, I Refused to Pick up My Neighbor's Son Again

The 30-day cooling-off period for the divorce was ticking down.

I couldn't just move all my stuff out at once.

I was afraid it might make them suspicious and cause them to have second thoughts.

Then, it wouldn't be something that could be resolved happily in just 30 days.

I took an extended leave from work.

Besides picking up Elisa every day, I secretly consulted a lawyer about the division of assets and custody issues.

Sometimes, I'd bring some of my things back home.

The rest of the time, I interacted with them just like before.

Though it was a struggle, this kind of endurance was hopeful compared to my past life.

Interestingly, from the moment I agreed to the divorce, Amanda and Troy started treating me with a strange politeness.

Probably, they were afraid I'd change my mind.

There was only one week left until the divorce was finalized.

I went to pick up Elisa from school.

On the way back, she pouted, visibly upset, occasionally reaching back to touch her spine.

I thought she had a backache. It scared me.

She pinched her little nose.

"Don't worry, Mom, it's not pain.

"It's Kaelan sitting behind me. His ballpoint pen got my clothes all dirty."

Kaelan was Helen's son, and the two kids were classmates.

Unexpectedly, the seat switching brought them together.

She took off her school uniform and handed it to me. A few blue ink lines were not deep but as messy as a ball of yarn.

They looked tough to wash, but as long as it wasn't Elisha feeling unwell, everything else was manageable.

Helen might be awful, but her child wasn't necessarily to blame.

Little boys could be naughty. Perhaps he didn't do it on purpose.

But Elisa said that when her class monitor went to the podium to answer a question, Kaelan stuck out his leg and tripped him on the way back to his seat.

Luckily, Elisa caught him.

"Mommy, if I hadn't caught him, he would have gotten hurt badly."

Hearing Elisa say that it was hard for me not to suspect that Kaelan held a grudge against her.

"Mommy will talk to the teacher about this."

But Elisha stopped me.

"Mom, nobody wanted to sit in front of him, and I felt sorry for him because he doesn't have a dad, so I volunteered to the teacher.

"Maybe he didn't do it on purpose. Let's give him a chance. If it happens again, I'll tell the teacher."

Seeing that she had her way of handling the situation, I decided to wait and see.

Elisa told Troy about the incident, and unexpectedly, he put on his clothes and headed straight for Helen's door.

"I'm going to ask her how she's raising her kid," he said.

It took me by surprise.

Was he suddenly brave enough to confront her, just to make sure I wouldn't reconsider the divorce?

But Helen wasn't exactly a pushover.

In the middle of the night...

I was half asleep when the sound of a child's agonizing cries reached me from the hallway.

The sharp scolding was Helen's.

I glanced at the clock.

It was 12:08 a.m.

It seemed extreme, disciplining a child in the hallway at this hour.

"You had to meddle, didn't you? Now her dad's come knocking at our door. Let's see if you dare do it again.

"If there's a next time, I swear I'll chop your hands off!"

I opened the door.

Kaelan's eyes were bright as he looked up at me.

His face was swollen, his hands covering his backside, his sleeve wiping his face.

His snot was smeared all over.

Seeing me open the door, Helen stopped in her tracks.

Troy quickly stepped forward to shield the boy.

"It's just a small matter. A little scolding should do, right? Is all this necessary?"

I thought she was just putting on an act.

But Helen looked genuinely furious, not like she was faking it.

Were they deliberately trying to keep us awake by coming here?

But was it worth it to harm themselves just to hurt me?

At that moment, several neighbors from downstairs came up as well.

With a face full of grievance, she pointed at me.

"My son and her daughter are classmates. Today, my son accidentally drew on her daughter's school uniform, and she had her husband find me about it.

"Kids don't do these things on purpose, you know? I think she's just taking advantage of the fact that I'm a widow with no one to rely on."

As she spoke, she dabbed at her tears, looking pitiful and helpless.

"It's not a big deal."

"But she was just talking, she didn't really bully you or anything."

"Besides, even if you're upset, you can just say a few words. Scolding your child at this hour is disturbing everyone."

She wasn't satisfied that no one was criticizing me, so she continued to sob.

Finally, a burly guy couldn't take it anymore and said impatiently, "Listen, stop making noise. I have to get up early tomorrow. If you keep it up, I'm calling the police."

Helen, seeing the guy's imposing figure, seemed to get scared.

She wiped away her tears and stopped crying.

She glared at Troy, then grabbed Kaelan from his arms and went back inside.

I thought that was the end of it.

But I was wrong.

The next day, when I opened my door, it was stuck.

I pushed to create a small gap and looked down.

Great, the doorway was covered in trash.

Rotten vegetable leaves and leftover food are scattered everywhere.

The carpet was stained with oil.

And the garbage bag I had tied up and placed at the door the day before.

Now, lay beside it, empty.