She had tried to reach Ethan for months. His phone was disconnected. His social media gone. Not even his old friends knew where he was. He had vanished like a ghost the moment they graduated highschool.
She thought about reaching out to his parents, but how could she? They didn't know her. They might think she was after their money. And what proof could she even offer except her word and Cade's face?
By the time Cade was three months old, they were barely surviving.
The rent notice had been taped to their door in bright red letters. With nowhere else to go, Clara parked Marlene's old beat up Chevy behind a gas station and made it their home. Cade's car seat doubled as his bed at night. Sofia curled in the passenger seat with a thin blanket. Clara stayed awake most nights, watching the parking lot, terrified someone would try to break in.
Then Child Protective Services came.
She could still see the two caseworkers standing outside the car, their eyes full of pity. The woman's voice had been gentle, but every word cut like a blade.
You can place him in a children's home… or a foster family temporarily.
But "temporarily" meant Cade would be in the system. Moved from home to home. No stability. No promises.
Sofia, being sixteen, needed to be placed with a foster family immediately. There was no option for them to stay together.
The decision clawed at her chest like an animal. But deep down, she knew she had no way to feed him, no way to keep him warm.
So she signed.
Her hand had trembled so badly, the signature was barely legible. Relinquishment of Parental Rights. Cade's future was now legally severed from hers.
She kept a memory of the weight of his tiny body as she held him for the last time, pressing her lips to his forehead. His little fist clutched her shirt as if he knew. She wanted to scream, to beg for another day, another chance, but instead, she placed him in the caseworker's arms and stepped back.
The sound of him crying as they walked away lived in her bones.