Elysia frowned. She didn''t buy Punikon''s story for a second.

No one knew her own kids better than she did.fn7 Find the newest release on Find[?]ovel/fn7

Sure, Elijah wasn''t exactly the social butterfly type, but he always had good manners. If Punikon genuinely wanted to be friends, there''s no way Elijah would just ignore him.

And Emmett? That sweet, soft-hearted kid wouldn''t hurt a fly, let alone start a fight.

Evan might be a bit of a scrapper, but he knew when to stop. "Beat him to a pulp"? Please, that was a stretch.

"So, what did Evan, Emmett, and Elijah say?” Elysia asked, crossing her arms.

The teacher looked exasperated. "Elijah won''t say a word. I''ve asked him over and over-nothing."

Elysia''s heart ached at the thought of Elijah just mming up, holding everything in.

"What about Evan and Emmett?" she pressed.

The teacher sighed, ncing at her notes. "Emmett said he saw Punikon trying to stab Elijah with a pencil, so he jumped in to protect him. Evan said Punikon''s been picking on Elijah for ages-he''s had enough, so he stepped in and, well, things got physical."

Elysia''s brows knit even tighter. She took a breath and said firmly, "Kids get into scuffles. It happens. If it turns out my kids were in the wrong, I''ll make sure they apologize to Punikon, and I''ll personally apologize to his parents. If there''spensation needed, we''ll take care of it."

"But if my kids aren''t at fault, I don''t care who Punikon''s family is-they''ll have to face the consequences."

The teacher, well aware both families were well-off and influential, just nodded quickly. "Of course, of course."

Meanwhile, in the lounge, the kids were huddled together, crying their eyes out in the arms of yton and Pam.

The moment Elysia walked in, the dam burst. The kids ran to her, sobbing even harder, all piling around her, desperate forfort.

"Mommy! Waaaaaah..."

Elysia''s heart broke. She blinked back tears, kneeling down to check them over.

"Who''s hurt?" she asked, voice trembling.

Elliot piped up, "Elijah and Emmett."

Elysia immediately went to check their wounds. Elijah had a Band-Aid on the back of his hand. She peeled it back gently and winced there. was a small, deep puncture where the pencil had gone in. It had bled, too.

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The school nurse had cleaned it up, but it still looked painful.

Fighting back tears, Elysia grabbed a fresh Band-Aid and covered the wound, kissing Elijah''s hand.

She then checked Emmett. His injury was almost identical: another pencil stab. On top of that, there was a nasty red scratch on his neck, like he''d been scraped with the pencil.

Elysia was furious and heartbroken. She''d worked so hard raising her boys-how could she stand seeing them hurt like this?

"I''m sorry, Mommy... I lost my temper," Evan whispered, tugging nervously at her sleeve.

He was the one who''d thrown the punches, and he was scared Elysia would be mad.

Elysia wiped her eyes and looked Evan straight in the face. "Don''t apologize just yet. I know I always say you shouldn''t fight, but sometimes there''s a reason."

"You''re the big brother. If someone hurts your brothers, you stand up for them. If it wasn''t your fault, I''ll be proud of you. But if you did Something wrong, well this time I really will have to punish you."

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Emmett burst out, still crying, "Mommy, don''t punish Evan! It wasn''t his fault—it was Punikon''s!"

Baby, sniffling and clutching Tarquin, joined in, "Don''t hit Evan, Mommy, please! Don''t hit him!"

Tarquin soothed, "Of course not. Mommy would never hurt Evan, right?"

Pam hugged Evan tight. "Irene, you can''t punish Evan. If you''re mad, take it out on Tarquin or your dad, not Evan."

Elysia held up her hands, exasperated. "I''m not actually going to punish Evan. I just want to understand what happened."

She gathered the kids around, her voice gentle but firm. "Alright, telkme the truth. What exactly happened today? Tell me what you remember, ne making things up Just be honest. Elijah, you first."  s