Chapter 55 Unmothered Brat

• The crowd funneled towards the playground’s fray—a tangle of gasps and pointed fingers. Beneath the slide’s rusted ladder, a woman knelt inspecting a girl’s bloodied mouth. Above them, Xavier sat frozen mid-descent, his small hands gripping the slide’s edges. A boy hovered nearby, staring at his shoes as if they’d betrayed him.
• “Rory, look what you’ve done!” The woman dabbed at the child’s chin with a tissue already blooming crimson. “Two teeth shattered—do you understand?”
• I’d almost reached Xavier when my mobile buzzed—three short, insistent vibrations. Leticia. Her name flashed like a warning light. Without breaking stride, I pivoted towards the car park, thumbing a voice note as I walked: “Not now. I’ll call tonight.”