I had just stepped out of a meeting when Mr. Miller called, insisting I come to the school immediately. He wouldn’t explain over the phone, only said the police were involved. The mention of police meant it was serious, so I took leave and rushed over immediately.
By the time I arrived at school, Samantha was already there. Before I even reached the office, I could hear her loud voice: “He’s just a child, what does he know?! If anything happened, it’s that shameless little tramp seducing our Leon! Who cares what kind of person she is, coming here and accusing Leon of bullying her? Who’d believe that?!”
From the sound of it, I could roughly guess what had happened. I pushed the door open immediately. The office was in chaos. Samantha, shielding Leon, was confronting two police officers. Mr. Miller was caught in the middle, trying to calm everyone down and get the facts straight. In the corner, a female officer was comforting a girl. I looked closer; it was one of the girls who’d come to the house on Friday, presumably the one called Lucy.
Samantha scowled when she saw me: “Why are you here? Where the hell is Allen? His son’s about to be arrested, and he doesn’t even show up?!”
Ignoring her, I addressed the male officer: “Excuse me, what’s happened? I’m the family’s lawyer from the Allen household.”
The male officer looked at me with mild surprise. Seeing I was serious, he explained the situation. Apparently, a girl had filed a police report that afternoon, claiming she’d been sexually assaulted and naming Leon as the perpetrator. I asked when it supposedly happened and if there was any evidence. The officer said it was allegedly last Friday, and they needed to take Leon in for questioning. So no evidence. As for why she reported it only now, the girl’s explanation was that she had been too scared initially, but Leon threatened her today, which gave her the courage to call the police.
I walked over to Leon: “What’s going on?” It was his first encounter with something like this; pale-faced and tense. “That day…” I interrupted him: “I’m asking about today. Did you threaten her?”
Leon shook his head vigorously: “No! She stole your necklace! I only saw it today and wanted it back. I just said a few words to her, who knew…”
I nodded, understanding. I asked a few more questions, clarifying the girl’s story. She claimed the incident happened at home. That simplified things. We had home监控. The truth of what happened would be clear from the recordings. I informed the police about the监控. Since I’d changed my phone, I didn’t have the监控 app on my new one. I needed to go home and retrieve the footage directly from the监控 system. Upon hearing about the监控, the girl panicked and tried to follow, but an officer detained her.
Leon came home with us. Samantha didn’t come; she said she’d stay at school to keep an eye on the girl. At home, just as I retrieved my old phone, Allen arrived, pale and anxious. Upon learning I was about to check the监控, he grew more worried: “It’s no use, that监控 only shows live footage, it doesn’t record!”
I said, “I bought the cloud storage subscription three years ago. It records. Don’t worry, footage is stored for 30 days.” Allen relaxed, knowing I never speak without certainty. He went to Leon and patted his shoulder: “Don’t be afraid, Mom and Dad are here.” Hearing the term ‘Mom’, I frowned slightly but said nothing. Leon noticed and his eyes dimmed.
After that, I powered on the phone, connected to the internet, opened the监控 app, and logged in. I navigated to the recordings and scrolled back to last Friday afternoon. The footage clearly showed what happened that day at home. The three of them chatted politely in the living room for a while, then the two girls said they were leaving. But within about fifteen minutes, Lucy returned, claiming she’d forgotten something. Leon let her in. Probably his room phone rang, and he went inside to answer it. In those few minutes, Lucy sneaked into my room. She stayed for about ten minutes until the sound of breaking ceramics came from inside, then she ran out in a panic. Leon, hearing the noise from his room, came out and saw Lucy rushing out of our room. Before he could question her, she fled. After that, Leon stayed home the whole time.
The truth was clear. Handing over the video became the police’s job, and getting a scared young girl to tell the truth wasn’t too difficult either.
Before the official police statement was released, none of us went to work; we stayed home with Leon. Watching the class group chat, Allen was distressed by the gossip circulating. I told him not to worry and to wait for the official statement. I also suggested maybe taking Leon on a trip to clear his mind after it was over. Allen was tempted but deflated: “Forget it, he won’t be able to enjoy it until this is resolved.”
Five days later, the police released their statement, clarifying the entire incident, clearing Leon’s name, and returning my necklace. I screenshot the statement and posted it in the parent group, also adding “Lawyer” after my nickname. The other parents, however, seemed to misinterpret my intention—either afraid of offending me or continuing to gossip about the girl.
“Boys that age don’t really know anything…”
“That girl herself is probably trouble…”
“Good thing there was evidence this time, otherwise that boy would be ruined…”
Mr. Miller quickly stepped in to restore order: “Alright, alright, it’s been cleared up. Please don’t discuss it at home; it’s not good for the children.”
“Right, the teacher is right…”
“We definitely shouldn’t spread rumors…”
Wanting to help Mr. Miller, I typed a message: I’m a lawyer, specializing in defamation cases. Feel free to contact me if needed. Thinking it might sound too serious, I handed the phone to Leon, who was watching TV on the sofa, and asked him how to make it sound a bit more playful. Leon gave me a look, glanced through the chat history, and modified my words. My message became: I’m a lawyer, handle defamation cases like a boss. Need help? Hit me up. 20% off.
I took the phone back and tweaked it further: 20% off is too much, only 5% off max. After sending it, the preemptive strike worked well; the parents in the group dared not gossip further.
This incident didn’t change my decision to divorce. A month later, I still brought it up with Allen. Heartbroken, he tried to persuade me to change my mind. Leon even promised he’d never cause me trouble again. The problem wasn’t really with them; it was with the people surrounding them. Not wanting to force them into a choice between me and their family, I silently insisted on leaving.
Apart from the three of us, no one knew about our divorce. After getting the divorce certificate, I resigned from the law firm and moved to a neighboring city. I was thirty-two now, with money and time—perfect conditions for having a child. I went to the hospital for IVF but discovered I was already naturally pregnant. I decided to keep the baby.
Three years later, Allen suddenly called me to borrow money. Assuming something was wrong (we hadn’t split any assets, so he shouldn’t be short), I was surprised. Allen explained it was for Leon—he wanted to start a business with some classmates and needed funds. I acknowledged the call and hung up.
I contacted Leon, asking about his plans, his team, and their track record. After he explained, I deemed it worth investing in and arranged to meet for a private dinner. Having chosen to attend university locally, it was easy for him to come. We met the next day, and he brought his co-founding friends. Seeing me with a child, Leon was surprised but said nothing. He and his friends took turns helping with my daughter so I could review the proposal. Finding it well-prepared, I decided to invest, drafting and signing the contract on the spot.
Before leaving, Leon said, “Dad really misses you. He only sends money to Grandma’s side now, doesn’t visit much. Could you and Dad…” Finding it awkward to suggest reuniting his father and stepmother, he trailed off.
I shook my head: “Tell him to find someone new to settle down with. We’re not right for each other.”
I thought that would be the end of it. But just a week later, Allen showed up at my door, gifts in hand, like a friend visiting. I couldn’t very well turn him away, so I let him in. He showed no surprise upon seeing my daughter, Amy, greeting her naturally and giving her a doll. Blood really is a strange and powerful thing.
Allen didn’t ask whose child she was. After getting to know her, he started coaxing her to call him Daddy. I didn’t stop him. A girl needs positive male figures in her life; it helps prevent her from being easily led astray—a lesson I’d learned from handling several divorce cases.
After that, Allen started visiting regularly. Upon retirement, he even moved nearby. We never remarried, just coexisted and kept each other company.
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