Chapter 4

The next day at work, Jess didn't look well. I asked her if she was okay, but she just shook her head.

Out of concern, I said, “If you’re not feeling well, you should rest in the office. I can handle things here.”

Jess thought for a moment before nodding. “Thank you, Izzy. I appreciate it.”

I smiled softly, telling her it was no trouble.

By lunchtime, Jess still hadn’t shown up in the cafeteria.

I brought some food back to the office and found her with swollen, red eyes.

“Have you been crying?”

I asked, worried. She hesitated for a long time, but maybe she couldn’t hold it in any longer. Her voice trembled as she opened up to me.

“My husband didn’t come home until late last night. He wasn’t even on call, but he came home reeking of alcohol… then he just started yelling at me… and hitting me.”

I quickly handed her some tissues, and she sobbed for a while before finally calming down.

Jess said, “Izzy, thank you for being my shoulder to cry on.”

I waved it off. “It’s no problem. We all have things we need to get off our chest sometimes.”

She gave me a grateful look as she took the lunch I had brought her.

In the blink of an eye, I’d been at Fairview Hills Academy for three months. During that time, I had gotten to know my colleagues well—even the security guards and janitors were on good terms with me.

Everyone praised Miss Cindy for her beauty and high emotional intelligence. They said I was bound to go places.

Some even complimented me directly to my face. I would just shake my head and say, “I have no ambition. As long as I can be a good teacher, I’m content.”

This led them to say, “Miss Cindy is a breath of fresh air, a true gem among women. Graceful and understated.”

I would just smile and stop trying to correct them.

When people want to praise you, no matter what you say, they’ll think you’re right.

And when they want to tear you down, no matter what you do, they’ll still find a way to criticize and hurt you.

I’m sure Jess understood this all too well.

She was always straightforward and wore her emotions on her sleeve. At just 27, she’d already become one of the top-ranked teachers in the city, earning her quite a bit of attention at the school.

But with that attention came arrogance. She looked down on others, especially when compared to my humble attitude, which only made her seem more proud.

In these three months, whenever she upset the other teachers, I was the one apologizing on her behalf. When she complained about the cafeteria food, I’d make sure to compliment the staff’s cooking.

At first, people probably thought I was just her lackey. But over time, they realized—I was everyone’s little ray of sunshine.

Jess’s reputation, however, continued to worsen. During the anonymous mid-year evaluations, she received over forty negative votes.

The principal called her in for a meeting.

Jess, being the proud person she was, couldn’t stand the humiliation and argued with the principal.

It wasn’t a big deal at first, just words being exchanged, but the principal had enough and threatened to fire her.

Jess sneered, slammed the desk, and loudly declared for everyone to hear:

“No need to fire me. I quit!”

Jess quit, and the principal was furious. Whether it was out of pride or genuine intent, she threatened to blacklist Jess.

Oddly enough, Jess didn’t seem afraid.

I wasn’t sure if she was incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.

Fairview Hills Academy is the top-ranking elite preschool in the city. The woman who built it into what it is today didn’t rise to the top without some serious skills. If she really wanted to blacklist Jess, Jess would never be able to work as a preschool teacher again.

As Jess left the classroom with her things, I shed a few genuine tears.

Maybe I was the only one in this entire school who would truly miss her. She smiled at me, unbothered, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”

Seeing my confusion, she leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “I know the principal’s secret.”