The math teacher wanted to say something to Elena, but Evelyn spotted her immediately and snapped, “It’s you! You’re her sister-how could you fail to protect her?!”
She lunged forward and grabbed Elena’s arm.
“Ma’am!” the homeroom teacher stood up, her face going pale.
This wasn’t the first time Evelyn had raised her hand to Elena-in front of staff, no less.
Elena was still a minor, yes, but nearly an adult. Evelyn’s behavior showed no regard for dignity or boundaries.
“I always knew there was something wrong with you,” Evelyn seethed. “It’s bad enough you transferred to Class Six and fell in with those delinquents-but now you’ve dragged your sister down with you! Was it your idea to switch the papers, huh?! What kind of twisted sister are you, Elena?! You’re going to ruin Sarah’s future!”
Her nails dug into Elena’s arm, pinching hard.
“Mom! Don’t blame Elena! This wasn’t her fault, it was mine…” Sarah said softly, lowering her head in pretend guilt.
But instead of calming down, Evelyn became even more furious.
“You see?! Your sister still defends you despite everything! She always forgives you, and this is how you repay her?”
Elena stared at Sarah, watching as she once again tried to dump all the blame onto her.
This time, she didn’t stay silent.
“How is it my fault Sarah turned out this way? She was the one who begged me to swap tests. She threatened to cry if I didn’t. What else could I do?”
The entire room went silent.
Even Evelyn’s expression changed.
Sarah’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Elena had… sold her out?!
“Elena! You-!”
“And besides,” Elena cut her off coldly, “we’re not family anymore. You wanted to sever ties, remember? So if anyone should be questioned, it should be your daughter. And
Ms. Evelyn-what right do you have to lay a hand on me?”
She turned to Evelyn, voice icy. “If you don’t believe me, ask Sarah. Ask her if what I said is true.”
That Ms. Evelyn landed like a slap.
Once upon a time, even when mistreated, Elena still respectfully called her “Mom.”
But now?
She’d called her Ms. Evelyn.
Evelyn’s face twisted.
“Mom, it’s my fault… My grades were slipping, and Elena only helped because she felt bad for me. It’s not her fault…”
Sarah’s voice was pitiful-but her words were laced with suggestion, implying that Elena had encouraged the cheating out of pity.
Elena said nothing.
Instead, she pulled out her phone-and pressed play.
A voice recording played out in the quiet office:
“But it’s a city-level competition. There’s no way to cheat.”
“Then… then how about this-on the day of the math competition, you take the test in my place, okay?”
“I know you’ve always wanted to enter a city-level competition. Math is your strength. Even if you can’t take it officially, you can still go under my name. That way, everyone wins, right?”
Then another clip played.
“Why didn’t you help me with the monthly exam like you said?”
“Sarah, I was really sick… I had to take time off. I completely forgot the exam was that day.”
“But your scores dropped way too much. You really need to study. Didn’t you promise you’d work hard this time?”
With every sentence, Sarah’s face drained of color.
The evidence was irrefutable.
She never imagined-Elena had recorded everything.
“I helped you because I still thought of you as my sister,” Elena said calmly. “I was afraid Mom and Dad would punish you, so I covered for you twice. And you promised me you’d start studying seriously. But all you ever wanted was an easy way out.”
The moment the recordings played, Evelyn turned sharply to Sarah.
Sarah didn’t dare meet her mother’s gaze. She dropped her head in silence.
Damn it! Elena had actually recorded her!
Why hadn’t she seen that coming?
“Sarah would never cheat! She’s always been a good girl,” Evelyn snapped, glaring at Elena. “She must’ve picked up this bad habit from someone. Probably you! I can’t believe you’d stoop to secretly recording her-who knows if you didn’t fake this just to frame your sister!”
Even the homeroom teacher was stunned.
Recording something to protect yourself-wasn’t that a basic right?
And yet in Evelyn’s eyes, it was suddenly Elena’s fault.
The teacher stepped forward. “Ma’am, using someone else to sit an exam is a serious offense. In extreme cases, it can lead to expulsion. Please be rational. Elena is your child too-“
“I don’t have a daughter who wants to sever ties with her family,” Evelyn interrupted coldly, casting a scornful glance at Elena. “I regret giving birth to such a thankless brat. She can’t even protect her own sister! So what if she took a test or two in her place? What’s the big deal?”
She yanked Sarah’s arm. “Come on, let’s go home! I’ll sign you up for more tutoring. If you didn’t do well this time, we’ll just do better next time!”
“Mom…”
Elena’s face turned cold.
More tutoring?
Sarah was already buried in tutoring. That’s why she never had the energy or time to study properly.
Across from them, Elena didn’t flinch.
She’d expected this all along.
Evelyn’s love for Sarah was unconditional. No matter how badly Sarah behaved, she would always pin the blame on Elena.
This time, it wasn’t just Elena who felt insulted. Even the teacher was visibly uncomfortable.
For a family like the Delaney-wealthy and reputable-how could a parent act so blindly?
“Elena, don’t overthink it,” the teacher offered gently. “Maybe your mother was just angry. She didn’t mean it.”
“You don’t have to comfort me, Teacher,” Elena replied. “She’s never treated me like her daughter. And since I’ve already decided to cut ties with them, nothing she says can hurt me anymore.”
Any mother who could throw one daughter under the bus to protect the other wasn’t a mother Elena hoped anything from.
Now, her only focus was to raise her grades and get into a good university.
More importantly, she needed to prepare for the SAT-and make sure she had enough money and resources to support herself.
…
Word spread quickly at school: Sarah had made Elena take her place for multiple exams.
No one could believe it.
Sarah, always the sweet, perfect student, had made her own sister cheat for her.
It was a serious violation of school policy.
Under pressure, the school had no choice but to issue a formal reprimand-and prepare disciplinary action.
Evelyn, infuriated, came storming into the school again.
She made a scene over the fact that Sarah had to read a public apology in front of the entire school. She felt utterly humiliated.
But the school’s decision was final.
If Sarah didn’t go through with the apology, she would face expulsion from senior year.
In the end, things between the Delaney family and the school turned sour.
And Sarah, once the teacher’s pet, found herself on the outs.
…
“I heard the ‘Model Student’ award had already been printed with Sarah’s name on it. But because of the scandal, they changed it,” a Class Six student whispered, repeating the latest gossip that had swept through the school.
Since Evelyn had offended the teachers, Sarah’s reputation plummeted.
The faculty now treated her coldly, and students steered clear.
…
“Elena, you’re way too tolerant,” Henry muttered. “If I had a sister like that, I would’ve lost it a long time ago.”
He had no idea Elena had suffered so much.
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