I came out of the building and towards the parking lot where Aaron had parked the car earlier, and I saw him there holding onto Zion while talking to his siblings. It was nice to know that some people understood what family was and valued it, unlike mine. At least I still had Lionel for support and comfort, no matter how bad it got.

They noticed me approaching, and they turned to look at me.

Aaron was the first to speak. “Hey, are you okay?” The concern in his tone made my ...