Soraya's POV
"Maria!" Jenny's voice rang from outside the house, sharp and hurried.
"I'm coming!" I called back, tightening Liam's little shirt as he clung to my waist.
Pa James and Ma Cecilia sat in the living room drinking tea, sunlight slipping through the curtains and warming the floor. Liam's tiny fingers refused to let go of my clothes.
"But Mama… where are you going?" Liam asked, his brown eyes round with worry.
I crouched and held his cheeks gently. "I'm going to work, sweetheart."
"Can I come?" he whispered.
"No, baby." I tucked a stray curl behind his ear. "I need you to stay with Pa James today. Be good for him, okay?"
He hesitated, lips wobbling. "But I want to stay with you."
My heart tightened painfully. "I know. And I want to stay with you too." I pressed a kiss to his forehead. "But Mama needs to work so we can buy food. And your school shoes, remember?"
Liam blinked, thinking hard. "The blue ones?"
"Yes, the blue ones."
