*Next day at school*
"Mom! Did you see what I made?" Austin burst through the classroom door, waving a paper covered in colorful numbers and shapes. His cheeks were flushed with excitement, blue eyes sparkling in a way that made my heart catch.
"Let me see, buddy," I said, kneeling to his level as the kindergarten classroom buzzed around us with parents collecting their children, artwork clutched in small hands.
Ms. Peterson, the kindergarten teacher, approached with Alex trailing behind her, his expression more reserved than his brother's. That was always their way—Austin charging ahead while Alex observed, calculated.
"Mrs. Collins, I wanted to have a quick word," Ms. Peterson said, her voice warm but with an undertone that immediately set my nerves on edge. "The boys did remarkably
