Chapter 18

Gabriel turned around in shock when he heard the voices. Sure enough, there were Hannah and Jamie, running toward them. "Dad! What are you doing here?" Hannah called out, running over. Gabriel's eyes burned with tears as he knelt down, ready to scoop them into a hug, but the kids slipped right past him and clung desperately to Eliana, sobbing as if their hearts might break. "Mom, please don't leave us! We've missed you so much. Come home, okay?" Gabriel's face darkened, and even Eliana was caught off guard by their reaction. But looking at their messy hair and dirty clothes, she could tell how miserable their lives had been lately. She kept her face carefully blank and didn't answer, but the kids only hugged her tighter. Hannah's tears fell one after another. "Mom, I really missed you. Ever since you left, everything's gone wrong. There's never enough food, nobody takes us to school, and Grandma's always sick. We don't want Linda anymore. Mom, please come home," Hannah pleaded.