? ? 85%

    38

    Mia tripped on something and almost fell t on the ground, but her brother’s hand shot out quickly, holding her up before she could hit the floor.

    Her knees buckled, her heart racing so fast it felt like it might burst out of her chest.

    Her face was already soaked with tears, hot trails streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto her blouse. Her entire body was gripped with fear, her hands were trembling, her chest was going up and falling too fast.

    “He was just here…he was just here, where could…. Aiden!”

    “Mia, calm down. We’ll find him,” Ethan said firmly, trying to steady her, but his voice felt far away, almost muffled.

    Mia wasn’t looking at her brother. She wasn’t even hearing him. Her eyes were wild, darting frantically from one direction to another, desperate, searching.

    People passed by, some throwing her quick nces, others whispering, but she didn’t care. All she could think of was Aiden.

    “Aiden!” she screamed, her voice breaking as she ran towards another direction, her heart wing inside her chest.

    “Mama?”

    Mia almost broke her neck from how fast she turned at the sound of that tiny voice. Her eyes locked onto him, her little boy standing not too far away.

    “Aiden!” she cried again, her legs carrying her before she even realized she was moving. She stumbled towards him, her tears falling harder, blurring her vision.

    She fell to her knees the moment she reached him, pulling her son into her arms so tightly it was as though she wanted to melt him into her body. She sobbed into his soft hair, shaking as relief and fear collided inside her.

    “Oh my God, baby,” she whispered between sobs, her hands running all over his little body, turning him around quickly, checking his arms, his legs, his face, everywhere.

    She needed to make sure he was fine.

    Aiden, however, only stared at her with big, confused eyes. His brows furrowed as if he was trying to understand why his mother was crying so much.

    “Whyi… /iMama?” he asked softly, his little voice carrying innocence, his small hands tugging at her blouse.

    Mia wiped her face quickly with her palm, forcing a shaky smile through her tears. She didn’t want to scare him more than she already had.

    “I’m fine, baby,” she whispered, pulling him into another tight hug. Her body trembled as she held him, her heart still racing with the memory of almost losing sight of him.

    The truth was, Aiden hadn’t even gone far. He was only a short distance away, but the moment Mia couldn’t see him, the world had copsed around her. For that brief moment, she felt like she had lost him forever. That thought alone nearly destroyed her.

    “Why did you leave where you were ying before, baby?” she asked gently, trying to hold her emotions together for his

    sake.

    Aiden lowered his head a little, guilt shing across his innocent face. “Sorry, Mama.”

    “No, no,” Mia quickly said, cupping his cheeks tenderly. “It’s okay, baby. Mama just didn’t like that you were out of her sight,

    11:23 Sun, 24 Aug QP.

    that’s all.”

    *

    85%

    “But I was there, Mama.” Aiden pointed with his little finger towards a spot a few steps away, where a group of children were gathered, still ying together.

    Mia’s heart softened, her lips trembling as she looked into his round, honest eyes.

    She nodded slowly. “I know, baby,”

    “One uncle was there too, Mama,” Aiden said suddenly, his voice casual, like he was mentioning something ordinary. “He touched my head.”

    Mia froze. Her eyes sharpened immediately as she stared at him, every muscle in her body going stiff.

    “What uncle, baby?” she asked, her tone sharper now, her heart pounding hard in her chest again.

    Aiden turned and pointed back to the same spot where the children were still ying. “The uncle has gone,” he added, his face scrunching up in confusion as if he couldn’t understand where the man had disappeared to.

    Mia’s stomach twisted. A heavy wave of unease washed over her. She turned her gaze towards the area he was pointing at, her eyes scanning quickly, searching for any trace of a man. But there was nothing. Just children ying. Just parents talking. Just strangers walking past.

    Still, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something wasn’t right.

    Her throat tightened as she crouched lower in front of her son, gripping his little arms. “What did I tell you about not going close to strangers?” she asked firmly, her voice shaking as she tried to keep her fear from spilling over.

    “But Mama, I didn’t go close,” Aiden said with a small pout, his lower lip sticking out. “I was just ying.”

    Mia’s heart ached as she looked at him. He was so innocent, so unaware of the danger that could have been. She wanted to cry again, but she held it back. She couldn’t let him see how scared she was.

    She quickly dusted his clothes, cleaning his body with shaking hands as if brushing off something invisible. She then stood up, holding his small hand tightly, unwilling to let him slip away from her again. She turned to her brother, her eyes still wide with fear.

    “Let’s go,” she said in a tone that left no room for argument.

    But Aiden tugged on her hand stubbornly, his little voice rising in protest. “But Mama, I’m still ying.”

    “Baby, we cane some other time,” Mia said gently, though her voice cracked with tension. She just wanted to leave. She just wanted to get her son somewhere safe.

    “No.” Aiden frowned, pulling his hand from her hold, crossing his tiny arms over his chest in defiance. His lips formed a little pout, his eyes narrowing in frustration.

    Mia’s heart stung at the sight. She hated disappointing him, but fear was louder than his protest. She reached out again, grabbing his small hand firmly, ignoring the ache in her chest.

    Aiden huffed loudly, stomping his feet against the ground in anger. His little legs matched against the floor, his body vibrating with childish stubbornness.

    “bBaby/b, I told you we wille back another time,” Mia repeated, her voice a little firmer this time, though her chest squeezed painfully.

    “No!” Aiden said again, louder this time, yanking his hand free once more. He spun quickly and ran towards Ethan, his little legs carrying him away from her.

    11:23 Sun, 24 Aug

    85%

    Mia’s chest tightened instantly. The rejection, even if it came from her child’s moment of anger, pierced her heart like a sharp knife. She stood frozen for a moment, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

    Ethan looks at her with concern, then he looks down at Aiden.

    “Buddy, how about we go get ice cream instead, huh?” Ethan said quickly, his voice calm and warm, stepping in before the moment could spiral further. He crouched down, extending his hand towards his nephew.

    Aiden hesitated, his lips still pouted, his small chest heaving from frustration. He didn’t answer at first.

    “Come on, ice cream,” Ethan coaxed gently, his smile soft, his tone patient.

    38)

    Aiden looked at him for a moment, then finally, reluctantly, he reached out his small hand. Ethan took it carefully, wrapping it in hisrger one.

    The little boy said nothing, but the way his fingers closed around Ethan’s hand showed his silent agreement.

    Mia stood there watching, her heart heavy, her hand still tingling from where her son had pulled away from her. The fear in her chest hadn’t left. If anything, it had only grown.

    Is she failing him?

    Is she failing as a parent?