Just after dropping my son off at kindergarten, I got a call from his teacher. "Sir, why hasn't your son arrived at school yet? Is he feeling unwell?"

I explained in confusion, "I just dropped him off with you. Did you forget?"

The teacher immediately responded, "Sir, please don't joke. I haven't seen you at all today."

I was dumbfounded and rushed back to the kindergarten, only to find that my son was indeed missing. I demanded to see the security footage, but it showed that I hadn't brought my son to school at all that day. Even the kindergarten's security guards and other parents testified that they hadn't seen me at the school. Still, I distinctly remember taking my son to kindergarten and handing him to his teacher.

Desperate to find him, I called the police. Eventually, they found my son's body in a pond near our home. The surrounding surveillance footage showed me pressing him into the water, drowning him with my own hands.

My mother-in-law clutched his lifeless body, sobbing and accusing me. "What did my grandson ever do wrong? Why did you have to kill him?"

My wife, filled with rage, slapped me across the face and shouted, "How could you do this to your own child? He was only five years old! Are you even human?"

I had no way to defend myself and became a reviled father, a murderer, overnight. My parents suffered severe online harassment and eventually died in their own homes. As for me, I was thrown in prison, tortured and ultimately beaten to death.

Even in my last moments, I couldn't understand why everyone who had seen my son and I insisted we hadn't been at the kindergarten. Moreover, if I had never gone near that pond, then why did the surveillance footage show me drowning my own son?

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I took my son to school.

——

"Honey, my mom isn't feeling well. I'm taking her to the hospital today. Can you drop our son off at kindergarten?" My wife, Ruby, supported Alice, speaking to me gently.

Those familiar words sent a chill down my spine. I turned to look at Ruby, realizing that I had been reborn. In my past life, I had agreed to take my son to school alone that day and that was when everything started to spiral out of control. In the end, my son drowned under mysterious circumstances.

I was framed as a murderer and tortured to death. I wasn't responding, so Ruby approached me worriedly, "What's wrong, Honey? Are you too busy?" Her tone was soft as if she were afraid of troubling me.

When I looked at her gentle expression, my heart sank. In my past life, I had been buried in work. My wife and mother-in-law had always been the ones to take our son to and from school. So why did something so terrible happen on the day they asked me to take him? Was it really just a coincidence?

After a moment of hesitation, I looked at Ruby and thoughtfully said, "I think our son looks a little unwell today. Maybe he should stay home instead?"

Ruby glanced at our son, then nodded. "Alright, we'll do as you say."

"Just remember to call the teacher and let her know," I added.

Alice smiled and said, "Then I'll leave little Ronan in your care today."

Their reactions seemed perfectly natural, so normal that I couldn't see any flaw. Still, the more normal it seemed, the more uneasy I felt. After Ruby and Alice left, I looked at my son. He was quietly sitting at the table, eating his breakfast obediently. My eyes welled up. I couldn't shake the memory of his lifeless body, drowning in that pond in my past life.

How terrified must my son have been in his final moments? Holding back the lump in my throat, I sat beside my son and gently asked, "Ronan, how have your mom and grandma been treating you lately?"

He replied with a bright, innocent smile, "They've been really good to me, Dad."

I paused momentarily before continuing, "And what about your teacher? How does he treat you?"

"He's great! He takes good care of me at kindergarten!" His response was natural and straightforward, his small face glowing with happiness.

Then he blinked his big, bright eyes, looking confused. "Dad, I don't feel sick today. Why aren't we going to school?"

I stroked his soft cheek, my heart aching. "Because Dad can't bear to be apart from you."

In my past life, sending him to kindergarten that day had led to his mysterious drowning. This time, I wouldn't let anything happen to him. After breakfast, my son sat in the living room, watching TV while I cleared the table and washed the dishes. Halfway through, my phone rang. It was his teacher. "Mr. Yelverton, why hasn't your son come to school today? Is he feeling unwell?"

My heart clenched when I heard the exact words as in my previous life. Walking toward the living room, I responded politely, "Sorry, Mr. Zach. Ronan isn't feeling well today. I was just about to call you to let you know ... "

My voice caught in my throat. The sofa where my son had been just moments ago was empty. He was gone. A surge of panic overwhelmed me. I immediately hung up and frantically searched the house. I called his name repeatedly, looking in every possible hiding spot.

Alas, the house was silent. He was nowhere to be found. No one answered me. Terror gripped my heart. The memories of my past life came rushing back like a nightmare, making my legs weak and my vision blur.

With trembling hands, I hastily dialed the police. Just like before, they found my son's body in the pond near our home. I ran to the pond like a madman, watching in disbelief as they pulled my lifeless child from the water.

Just minutes ago, he had been smiling so sweetly at me. Now, he was cold and pale, a motionless corpse. I felt like I had fallen into an icy abyss, unable to breathe. My legs gave out and I stumbled forward, clutching his tiny body.

I held him tightly, desperately trying to warm his freezing skin with my own body heat. I choked out his name between sobs, begging him to wake up. Unfortunately, no matter how much I called, no matter how tightly I held him, my son never opened his eyes.

Realizing that he was gone once again, an unbearable pain tore through me. Why? Why had I done everything differently this time, fought to keep him by my side and still failed to save him? Why, no matter what I did, couldn't I protect my own child?

The agony consumed me, draining me of even the strength to cry. Alice and Ruby arrived in a panic after hearing the news. When they saw my son lying lifeless in my arms, Alice let out a gut-wrenching wail.

She rushed forward, shoving me aside and clutching him tightly in her embrace. "Ronan, my sweet grandson. I was only gone for a short while to see a doctor. How could this happen?"

Tears streamed down Ruby's face as she trembled uncontrollably. "Ronan! Wake up, baby. Please don't scare Mommy like this. Are you mad at Mommy for not taking you to school today? Please, wake up. I'm sorry! I'll do anything, just please, open your eyes!"

Ruby's face twisted with regret as she spoke and slapped herself hard across the cheek. The surrounding crowd watched the heartbreaking scene, their voices filled with sorrow and sympathy. "Huft, everyone in the neighborhood knows how well-behaved and polite this child was. He was such a joy to be around."

"Yeah, I remember how much his family loved him. Now that he's gone, how will they go on?"

"Such a tragedy. A bright little boy, gone just like that. How did he suddenly drown in the pond?"

Amidst the murmurs, a police officer investigating the case approached me with a stern expression, holding a tablet. "We just checked the surveillance footage. It clearly shows you bringing the victim here and forcibly drowning him in the pond."

"Do you have anything to say about this?" he asked as he played the surveillance video for everyone to see. The footage clearly showed me leading my son to the pond, dragging him into the water and holding him down until he stopped struggling. Only then did I let go.

The moment the video ended, all eyes in the crowd turned towards me. Shock, anger and hatred filled their gazes. As I watched the video, a scene I had never witnessed before and faced the eyes of a crowd that seemed ready to tear me apart, I felt like I was reliving my previous life. That same feeling of utter helplessness and despair washed over me once again.

Before I could utter a single word, Ruby stormed toward me, her eyes burning with fury. She slapped me across the face, her voice shaking with rage. "Theo, are you even human? Ronan was your own son! He was only five years old! How could you do this to him?"

My wife's hand trembled, but her slap was forceful, leaving a sharp sting on my cheek. Her bloodshot eyes glared at me with pure hatred, as if she wished she could tear me apart. The scene was eerily familiar.

My heart ached with unbearable pain. Ruby hadn't listened to me then and wouldn't listen now. She had sentenced me with a single slap, crushing all my hopes. Alice clutched my son's lifeless body, glaring at me with overwhelming grief and fury. "What did Ronan ever do to deserve this? Why did you kill him?"

She grew increasingly hysterical, clutching her chest as if she couldn't breathe. The crowd erupted in rage, their voices filled with contempt. "This man is worse than a beast! How could he murder his own son?"

"I actually felt sorry for him when he was crying just now. Turns out he was just putting on a show! A cold-blooded killer!"

"Disgusting. A man like this doesn't deserve to be a father—or to be alive!"

They began spitting at me and throwing trash. Some even took out their phones to record videos and live-stream accusations of my crime. The live stream quickly went viral. The comments section was flooded with people mourning my son's death, cursing me for being a heartless father and wishing me a horrible death.

Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, the police stepped in to maintain order. One officer stared at me intently, his voice stern. "This incident has caused quite a stir and it's a very serious matter. The evidence is clear. Do you have anything to say?"

I didn't hesitate. I met the officer's eyes and spoke firmly. "I didn't kill my son. I would never harm him. Officer, I beg you. Please investigate this thoroughly. If you don't, the real killer will walk free forever. I'm not afraid to die, but I can't let my son's death remain a mystery."

The officer frowned. His gaze grew sharper and colder as if he were looking at an incorrigible criminal.