"Auntie..."
As soon as Geoff entered the house, he rushed into Lydia's arms and started crying, his sobs breaking Lydia's heart.
"Geoff, don't cry. Tell Auntie what's wrong."
Lydia knelt down and hugged Geoff, letting him cry his heart out on her shoulder.
"Auntie, I didn't go to school because I was sick. It's because Mommy hit me."
Feeling the warmth of Lydia's embrace, Geoff cried even harder, unable to hold back the reason he missed school.
"What?" Lydia's anger flared instantly.
She set Geoff down and asked seriously what had happened.
"What happened?"
"Mommy hit me. I have bruises, and she didn't want the teachers at kindergarten to see them, so she didn't let me go to school."
As Geoff spoke, he removed his pants, revealing a large bruise on his thigh.
Lydia's heart clenched tightly at the sight of the injury on the child.
"How could anyone do this? How could a mother beat her child like this?"
Tears of heartache fell from Lydia's eyes.
