266 : Hide and Seek

VERENA

“Where’s Dory? She didn’t come to play with me today.” Ezra complaints, pouting. “Is she playing hide-and-seek with me?”

I smile, a bittersweet expression playing on my lips. "Sort of," I reply, my voice filled with a newfound hope. "She's playing hide-and-seek with us."

Ezra chuckles, his laughter a soothing balm for my troubled heart. "That's like Finding Dory," he says, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

I smile, wiping the tears quickly that threaten to escape my eye. "It is," I reply, my voice filled with a newfound hope. "Now, it's time for bed."

Ezra nods, his enthusiasm fading as the reality of sleep sets in. As I tuck him in, I watch him drift off to sleep, his small chest rising and falling with each breath. In the darkness of his room, I find a sense of peace, a flicker of hope that illuminates the path ahead.

The meeting room, a dimly lit space filled with the scent of wood and leather, is our chosen venue for the meeting. Joshua and Drake stand before me, their f