Chapter 3 - CHILD LOGIC
Eleanor stepped forward, her heels clicking sharply against the hardwood.
She reached behind the doorframe, her fingers catching the fabric of Leo’s shirt.
"Let go of him!" Eleanor hissed, yanking the boy into the bright hallway.
Leo let out a sharp cry, his small feet dragging across the polished wood.
He didn't look at his grandmother.
His tear-filled eyes locked onto Clara’s blue shirt.
"Mommy!" Leo whimpered, trying to pull his small hand free.
"The bad lady is squeezing my arm!"
"He belongs with the family, not with an outsider!" Eleanor sneered, shoving the boy forward toward the staircase.
Leo didn't run toward the stairs.
He lunged forward, throwing his small arms directly around Clara’s knees.
"I gave her my sticky star," Leo sobbed into Clara’s trousers.
"The star makes Mommy's face stop hurting."
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Clara dropped to her knees despite the weight of her pregnancy, wrapping her arms tightly around the boy.
In Leo's small world, a plastic glow-in-the-dark star placed over a bruise could fix anything.
