Valeria's POV
His face lit up when he saw me and I knelt down to catch him as he ran into my arms. But something was off. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes and when I pulled back to look at him properly, I noticed the way his shoulders slumped forward. He looked defeated in a way I had never seen before.
"How was your first day?" I asked while studying his face carefully. "You had fun, didn't you?"
"It was good," he returned but his voice lacked the excitement I'd expected. "We made volcanoes and they exploded everywhere."
"That sounds amazing," I said while standing up and taking his hand. "Come on, let's get to the car and you can tell me all about it."
We walked across the parking lot in silence. Elliot didn't chatter or point out interesting things he saw the way he usually di
