It was everyone’s fault, and no one’s fault.
A collective failure that had left a child vulnerable.
“We’ll get through this,” he promised, his voice steady but strained.
And as we sat around the table, the enormity of what lay ahead settled over us, a weight we would carry together.
There was no easy way forward, no quick fix for the damage that had been done.
But there was hope, fragile and tentative.
And for now, it would have to be enough.
Note: This story is a work of fiction inspired by real events. Names, characters, and details have been altered.
