My Son's New Mother

"Tony, say hello to Mommy."

Tony shook his head and hid behind Victor, saying quietly, "She's not my mom."

A few of the parents in the audience questioned it too.

"I remember Tony's mother is Eloise, right? I saw her before the semester started. What's going on?"

"Yeah, I remember her too. What is this about?"

Samantha's face went pale, and she looked at Victor as if she were pleading for help.

Sure enough, after only two seconds of hesitation, he stepped forward unhurriedly and cleared his throat.

"You're all mistaken. Eloise Lloyd is not my son's mother. She's only..."

He paused, his gaze falling tenderly on Samantha.

"She's only the nanny I hired for my son. Samantha Yates is my son's real mother."

A nanny? I froze, feeling myself going numb.

Victor and I had been together since college. We had been through thick and thin for ten years.

When his business failed and he fell into debt, I even fought with my father for his sake. When his frequent social drinking gave him stomach problems, I woke up at 5:00 am every day to make him a nourishing stew.

He said he wanted children, so I even considered sacrificing myself to save the baby during delivery.

Now, in front of Tony and all his classmates' parents, he called me nothing more than a nanny.

The coldness in my heart flipped to the opposite extreme. It became a roaring blaze.

The parents in the classroom seemed convinced, and understanding dawned on their faces.

"Oh, I see. Eloise was way out of line, then. She's just a nanny, but she made the kid call her 'Mommy.'"

Some even offered Samantha advice. "Ms. Yates, you're too soft-hearted. You need to watch out. Don't let the nanny walk all over you. If she corrupts the child, that'll be a huge problem."

"Exactly. These nannies are the worst."

Samantha was overjoyed. She smiled gently and virtuously. "You're right. I'll be careful."

Tony's eyes turned red as he protested, "No, you're wrong. She's not my mom. My mom's name is Eloise."

One of the parents clicked their tongue in disdain.

"See? She's already corrupted him. He doesn't even recognize his own mother. When he grows up, he'll be an ungrateful brat. Ms. Yates, you and Mr. Gardner need to discipline this child properly."

"Absolutely. My daughter would never dare act like this. Ms. Yates spoils him too much."

"If you ask me, give him a good spanking right now. Once he learns his lesson, he'll behave."

"That's too violent. I say, lock him in a closet. When he learns to call her 'Mommy,' let him out."

The parents chimed in one after another, offering their suggestions.

Samantha's eyes sparkled with barely concealed delight, though she feigned reluctance. She looked at Victor hesitantly. "Vic, they do have a point. Maybe we should..."

"Wait!"

I stood up, pulled off my mask, and held up my phone, which had been recording the entire time. My voice rang out clearly. "Victor, I'm going to ask you one more time in front of everyone. If Samantha is Tony's mother, then who am I?"

The smiles on Victor's and Samantha's faces froze.