Carmen was in the middle of cleaning, wiping down the kitchen counter when her phone buzzed on the table.
She grabbed it without thinking, still focused on a stubborn stain.
“Hello?”
“Is this Matteo mother?” Alexandra’s voice sounded tight, controlled.
Carmen paused, sensing something was wrong.
“Yes?”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then—
“I need you to come to the school. Immediately.”
Carmen’s stomach dropped. “What happened?”
Another pause.
“There’s been… an incident with Matteo.”
Carmen straightened, gripping the phone tighter.
“What kind of incident?”
Alexandra hesitated. “Matteo stabbed another child.”
The words hit Carmen like a punch to the chest.
“I—what?” she choked out.
“He stabbed a student with a pocketknife,” Alexandra clarified, her voice carefully neutral. “We need his parents to come immediately.”
Carmen felt her hands start to shake.
“I—I’ll be right there.”
She hung up and immediately dialed Marco.
“What?” Marco’s sharp voice answered on the first ring.
“Marco,” Carmen rushed, her heart pounding. “You need to get to the school. Now.”
“Carmen, I’m in the middle of—”
“Matteo stabbed a kid, Marco!” she snapped.
Silence. A dead, suffocating silence.
Then—
“I’m on my way.”
Carmen hung up, grabbed her coat and keys, and rushed out the door.
The moment Carmen and Marco stepped into the small classroom, they saw Alexandra sitting stiffly at the desk.
Matteo was sitting across from her.
The classroom was empty except for the three of them. Matteo sat calmly, swinging his legs. Carmen’s chest tightened.
He didn’t look scared. Didn’t look upset. Didn’t look like a child who had just stabbed someone.
Marco spoke first.
“What happened?” His voice was cold, sharp.
Alexandra folded her hands on the desk.
“Matteo stabbed a classmate with a pocketknife during recess,” she said. “The other child is fine—just a cut on the arm. But this is serious.”
Carmen’s pulse roared in her ears.
“Where did he get a pocketknife?” she demanded.
Alexandra’s expression didn’t change.
“That’s something you should be telling me. Not the other way around.”
Carmen felt sick. She turned to Matteo, kneeling in front of him.
“Baby, where did you get the knife?”
Matteo blinked at her. Then, as if it were the most normal thing in the world—
“Nanny gave it to me.”
The room fell silent. Carmen felt all the color drain from her face. Marco went completely still.
“What?” Marco’s voice was low, dangerous.
Matteo looked between them, confused by their reactions.
“Nanny gave it to me,” he repeated. “Before she dropped me off at home again.”
Carmen felt her lungs tighten. Her mind reeled, trying to process what he had just said.
“That’s not a good thing, baby,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice calm.
Matteo frowned. “Why not?”
Carmen struggled to breathe.
“Because, Matteo, knives aren’t toys,” she said carefully. “They can hurt people.”
Matteo tilted his head. “The nanny said I should always protect myself.”
Marco’s jaw clenched. “And that means stabbing another kid?”
Matteo frowned deeply.
“He was bullying me.”
Carmen’s heart broke.
“What do you mean, baby?” she asked softly.
Matteo kicked his legs, looking down. “He said mean things. He pushed me. He said you and Papa were criminals.”
Carmen and Marco exchanged a look. Matteo took a deep breath, then whispered—
“Nanny told me not to let anyone bully me.”
Marco’s hands curled into fists. Carmen could barely breathe.
Ella’s influence was still inside him. Even after she was gone. Even after they brought him home. She was still controlling him.
“We’ll talk about this at home,” Marco said firmly.
He turned to Alexandra.
“We’ll handle this. You have my word.”
Alexandra nodded, but her eyes were serious.
“I hope so. Because if anything like this happens again… Matteo won’t be allowed back.”
Carmen felt the weight of the warning.
She swallowed hard, forcing a nod.
“Understood.”
She turned back to Matteo, taking his small hand in hers.
“Come on, baby. Let’s go home.”