Maria's Point of View
The morning was crisp and the sun barely peeking over the horizon as I hurried the twins out of the house, their back packs bouncing against their little frames. Floyd and Hana were giggling running in front racing to the car as I followed with a tired smile. Mornings like these, the rush of getting the kids up and off to daycare so I could head off to the restaurant for another long shift, had become routine; things were just a little more chaotic with the trial and everything else that seemed to be swirling at the time.
Buckling the twins into their car seats, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me. The confrontation with Reina the previous day still played in my head, my body taut from the encounter. But I couldn't dwell on it now. I had to focus on the twins,
