After losing the court case, Sarah, with her daughter in tears, trudged toward the last train

After losing the court case, Sarah, with her daughter in tears, trudged toward the last train. A cold wind swept scraps of paper across the platform, and a lump lodged in her throat. Sarah clutched a suitcase in one hand and tightly held Emily’s small hand in the other.

The ten-year-old girl walked beside her, her blonde hair escaping from under her cap, her cheeks red from tears and the wind.

“Mom, did Dad really abandon us?” Emily asked, looking up at her. Her voice trembled, but it held more confusion than fear.

Sarah swallowed, struggling to find words. “He… made his choice, sweetheart.”

Emily frowned and kicked a pebble on the platform. “I don’t want to see him anymore. He promised me a dog, and now…” She trailed off, burying her face in her mom’s side.

Suddenly, a small, dirty hand grabbed Sarah’s coat. She flinched and looked down.

At her feet stood a boy, about five years old, ragged, with a dirt-streaked face and large brown eyes. He shivered, clutching her bag.

Emily immediately straightened, forgetting her tears. “Mom, who’s this? Is he lost?” She bent down, studying him curiously. “Like that kitten we found by the apartment?”

“I don’t know,” Sarah whispered, still stunned. The boy looked up and said softly, “Don’t send me away.”

Emily firmly squeezed her mom’s hand. “We won’t send him away! We have to help him, Mom!”…