Elise was stunned by the news of Samuel's suicide.

'The worst outcome for him,' she reflected, 'would have been a decade or two behind bars.'

She never imagined he would actually take his own life.

Upon further reflection, she realized that living would have been more agonizing for him.

He could never come to terms with being so thoroughly deceived by a woman he once adored, and that his own family's downfall was orchestrated by his own hands.

His pride would never have survived such profound humiliation.

Perhaps death was his only escape.

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Even so, Elise felt little emotion regarding his death.

She harbored no guilt—after all, she wasn't the one who drove him to it.

She felt no sympathy either; Samuel was far from innocent.

If anything, the only sentiment that stirred within her was a renewed respect for the fragility of life.

In the wake of his suicide, the public condemnation towards Samuel gradually faded, as most people adhered to the principle of not speaking ill of the deceased.

Thus, the torrent of online vitriol and scorn directed at him ceased after little more than two weeks.

Elise was finishing up her workday, preparing to leave the office, when William called.

She paused, uncertain whether to answer.

He hadn't contacted her in nearly two weeks.

The sole exception was when Samuel's suicide made headlines, and he had texted: [Are you alright?] She hadn't responded, and he hadn't pressed further.

Therefore, this call felt abrupt.

Nevertheless, Elise answered.

"Mr. Levine."

A courteous, yet distinctly distant greeting.

"James has been held back after school," William stated bluntly, without preamble.

Elise's brow furrowed—any mention of James always made her anxious.

She made a point of having James over to her apartment every weekend.

William never interfered, for which she remained consistently grateful.

"What?!" she exclaimed, shocked.

"His teacher says he's struggling to keep up," William explained. "He's not grasping the material. I went to the school personally, but the instructor informed me he's hindering the class's overall progress."

"But he's only in first grade!" Elise protested, visibly upset. "Aren't they being unreasonable? It's an elite private school! Shouldn't they emphasize well-rounded development? Why the rush?"

"They still prioritize academic advancement and push students to excel, ensuring the school's reputation and attracting more enrollments. Besides, it's not entirely the school's fault—James genuinely struggles to keep pace. Most of the other children had already covered the first-grade curriculum before even starting school. I followed your approach and didn't pressure James excessively. I arranged his education based on his interests."

"So, what do we do now? Hire a private tutor for remedial lessons?" Elise asked.

"They've all quit."

"What! James's teacher has called me about this multiple times. I hired three different private tutors for him... Each one was nearly in tears, saying they couldn't teach him. They essentially implied he's... slow."

"They're the ones who are slow! All of them!" Elise fumed, unable to tolerate any criticism of James.

William seemed to chuckle softly for a moment, then replied wearily, "Regardless, private tutors aren't the solution. I considered teaching him myself, but I've been traveling abroad more often than I'm here. I'm not thoroughly familiar with the local curriculum."

"I'll teach him!"

Elise responded instantly. She had aced her SATs with a perfect score. It would be laughable if she couldn't teach her own son first-grade material.