Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Chapter 85

Aria’s POV

My hands were shaking on the steering wheel.

I ran every yellow light between the office and Sunshine Academy. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.

Was she hurt? Did she fall? Did someone take her?

A thousand nightmare scenarios played through my mind. Each one worse than the last.

I pulled into the parking lot so fast my tires screeched. Didn’t even bother finding a proper spot. Just stopped the car and ran.

The front desk lady tried to say something as I burst through the doors. I didn’t hear her. Couldn’t hear anything over the blood rushing in my ears.

Director Patterson’s office. Second floor. I took the stairs two at a time.

The door was already open.

I stopped.

Lina sat on a small chair in the corner. Her head was down. Her little hands were folded in her lap. She looked so small. So guilty.

But she was okay. She was whole. She was alive.

The relief hit me so hard my knees almost buckled.

"Ms. Moon." Director Patterson stood up from behind her desk. Her face was serious. Too serious. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"What happened?" I was still catching my breath. "Is she hurt? Is she—"

"Lina is fine." The director gestured to another chair. "Please. Sit down."

I didn’t want to sit down. I wanted to grab my daughter and run. But I forced myself to take the seat.

That’s when I noticed the other people in the room.

A woman I didn’t recognize sat on the couch against the wall. She was holding a little boy on her lap. The boy had a bruise on his forehead. Fresh. Purple.

My stomach dropped.

"Ms. Moon, this is Tyler and his mother." Director Patterson’s voice was carefully neutral. "There was an incident during free play this morning."

I looked at Lina. She still wouldn’t meet my eyes.

"What kind of incident?"

The woman spoke up. Her voice was sharp. Angry.

"Your daughter pushed my son. Hard. He hit his head on the corner of a table." She pulled the boy closer. "He could have been seriously hurt!"

"I’m so sorry." The words came out automatically. "Lina, baby, what happened?"

My daughter finally looked up. Those black-gold eyes were swimming with tears.

"He took my crayon, Mommy." Her voice was tiny. "The purple one. I asked for it back and he said no. So I pushed him. But I didn’t push hard! I promise!"

"You didn’t push hard?" The woman’s voice rose. "Look at my son’s face! Look at that bruise!"

"I’m very sorry." I turned to face her fully. "I apologize on behalf of my daughter. She knows better than to put her hands on other children."

"Sorry doesn’t cut it!" She stood up, the boy still in her arms. "This is the third time something like this has happened with your kid! Last month she broke another child’s toy. Before that she knocked a boy off the swing. There’s something wrong with her!"

The words hit like a slap.

I felt Lina flinch beside me.

"Please." Director Patterson’s voice was firm. "Let’s keep this civil."

"Civil? My son is HURT!" She pointed at Lina. "That girl is dangerous! She doesn’t belong in a normal school!"

I stood up. My hands were clenched at my sides.

"My daughter is three years old." My voice came out steady. Barely. "She made a mistake. Children make mistakes. That doesn’t make her dangerous."

"Normal children don’t send other kids to the nurse twice a month!"

"That’s enough." Director Patterson stepped between us. "I’ve already assured you that we’ll handle this situation appropriately. Please take Tyler to get some rest. We’ll follow up with you later."

She glared at me. Then at Lina. Then she turned and stormed out, muttering under her breath about "problem children" and "negligent parents."

The door slammed behind her.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

"Ms. Moon." Director Patterson’s voice was softer now. "Please. Sit."

I sat. Pulled Lina onto my lap. Held her close.

"I really didn’t push hard, Mommy." Lina’s voice was muffled against my chest. "I promise. I barely touched him."

"I know, baby." I stroked her hair. "I know."

But I also knew the truth.

Director Patterson cleared her throat.

"Ms. Moon, I need to show you something."

She walked to her desk. Picked up a tablet. Tapped a few times. Then turned the screen toward me.

Security footage.

I watched as Lina approached Tyler at the craft table. Watched as he grabbed her crayon. Watched as she reached out to push him—

The push looked gentle. Barely a shove.

But Tyler flew backward like he’d been hit by a truck. He crashed into a chair. The chair shattered. Actually shattered. Wood splintering in all directions.

My blood ran cold.

"That chair was solid oak." Director Patterson’s voice was quiet. "It shouldn’t have broken like that. Not from a three-year-old bumping into it."

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.

"Mommy?" Lina tugged at my sleeve. "Why did the chair break? I didn’t mean to break it."

"I know, sweetheart." My voice sounded far away. "It’s not your fault."

Director Patterson put down the tablet. Sat on the edge of her desk.

"Ms. Moon, I’ve been an educator for twenty-five years. I’ve seen a lot of children. A lot of situations." She paused. Chose her words carefully. "Your daughter is... different."

Different.

There it was.

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