And apparently…
Filtering Emma.
“Why didn’t you come find me?” he asked quietly.
Emma looked down at the boys.
“By the time I realized what happened… it was too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was already struggling,” she said softly. “Triplets aren’t easy.”
One of the boys tugged her sleeve.
“Mama, I’m hungry.”
Daniel’s chest tightened painfully.
Emma kissed the child’s head.
“I know, sweetheart.”
Daniel suddenly noticed how thin the boys looked.
Their shoes were worn.
Their jackets didn’t match.
“How long have you been living like this?” he asked, his voice barely steady.
Emma hesitated.
“About a year.”
For illustrative purposes only
Daniel felt something break inside him.
“You’re homeless?”
Emma gave a small nod.
“I lost my job when the boys got sick last winter. The rent piled up. Eventually…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
Daniel closed his eyes briefly.
All this time he had been living in luxury.
While his children were growing up on the street.
A wave of guilt washed over him.
“Why didn’t you go to a shelter?”
“I tried,” Emma said quietly. “But there are waiting lists. And most places don’t take mothers with three children.”
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