PART 2: “WE DON’T WANT TO BE SEPARATED AGAIN.”
The youngest girl started crying first.
Not loudly.
Not like a child throwing a tantrum.
It was the quiet cry of someone who had already learned that tears rarely changed anything.
Little Deborah buried her face against Sharon’s shoulder the moment Hannah said she wanted to adopt them.
And suddenly, the oldest sister panicked.
“No.”
The word came out sharp.
Protective.
Fearful.
Everyone in the room froze.
Sharon tightened her arms around the baby and stepped backward instinctively, placing herself between her sisters and Hannah like a tiny soldier preparing for war.
The social worker sighed softly.
“It’s okay, sweetheart—”
“No!” Sharon repeated, louder this time. “You can’t trick us again.”
Hannah’s chest tightened.
The little girl’s dark eyes were filled not with hope…
but terror.
“What do you mean?” Hannah asked gently.
Sharon swallowed hard.
“People always say they want us.”
Silence filled the room.
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