Betrayed: His Student Caused Our Daughters Death

I pointed at them, seething with anger, and shouted, "What a ridiculous scandal about teacher-student relationships! You're both nothing but frauds! Maybe I should ask the principal if all his teachers are sharing rooms with their students!"

Brynn covered her face and started sobbing. "Mrs. Russell, if you tell the principal such things, my reputation will be in shambles. I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm leaving."

With that, she rushed out the door.

Alexander was desperate to follow her, but I stood in the doorway with our child, blocking his path.

"Let me through! She could be in trouble!"

"The school is just a few minutes away. What kind of trouble could she be in?"

In his anger, Alexander struck me across the face, and our daughter, Nevaeh, began to cry, her sobs echoing through the night.

Our neighbors, including Alison, gathered to find out what was happening.

"Mr. Matthews, can't this wait until morning? We all need to sleep."

In the end, Alexander stayed inside and didn’t pursue Brynn out the door.

Early the next morning, there was an urgent knock on our door. Kellen, a young student, stood there looking troubled and told Alexander, "Mr. Matthews, last night Brynn fell into the river and... she passed away."

I thought Alexander would rush out to confirm the news, but he remained eerily calm.

"Okay, I understand. You should head back. Don't be late for class."

After Kellen left, Alexander continued his morning routine without a word, washing up, getting dressed, and picking up his lesson plans before leaving.

I felt a twinge of guilt deep down. If I hadn’t spoken so harshly the night before, Brynn might not have left, and this wouldn't have happened.

That evening, when Alexander got back from work, I quietly set the table for dinner. I wanted to apologize, but he asked as if nothing had happened, "Where do we keep our cash?"

I pointed to the cabinet beside the bed. "There's a tin box in there where we keep all our important stuff."

"Oh, take some money and buy a new outfit for you and Nevaeh at the department store."

Even though his tone seemed normal, there was something unsettling about him. I didn’t dare ask more questions. After dinner, I took Nevaeh out shopping.

I picked out the cheapest clothes I could find and bought Alexander a stylish-looking coat. The salesperson said it was the latest trend.

As soon as I returned to our building, the neighbors busy preparing meals in the hallway greeted me, "Oh, new clothes! Mr. Matthews treats you well."

"Yeah, we're all a bit envious, Mrs. Russell. Mr. Matthews is such a well-educated and decent man."

Their words made me blush with a mix of pride and embarrassment.

That evening, a torrential rain began to pour. Alexander put on the new coat I bought him and encouraged me and Nevaeh to wear our new clothes as well. Then he pulled out an umbrella and smiled at us, "Come on, let's go out for dinner tonight."

"It's not safe to go out in such heavy rain. How about we wait until tomorrow?"

But he said nothing and simply took Nevaeh’s hand, leading her out the door. I felt it was better not to argue, so I followed them into the rain.