Elena’s POV
I rushed into the preschool office, breathless, and nearly collapsed when I saw him sitting in the corner. His little fists were clenched, his shirt wrinkled, and his cheeks blotchy with drying tears.
“Mommy!” he cried, launching himself at me.
I dropped to my knees and hugged him so tightly I thought I might crush him. My nose pressed into his hair, and I breathed him in. He smelled like crayons, dirt, and sweat. My heart only started beating again once I felt him safe in my arms.
But then I noticed the red scrape along his knuckles. And the way the teachers weren’t looking at him with sympathy.
They were wary.
That set off alarms in my chest.
A tall woman with a clipboard cleared her throat. “Mrs. Rivers?”
I stiffened. “Miss. It’s Miss Rivers.”
Sh
