The woman followed them out into the rain. She expected something cruel—a mocking smile, an offensive remark.
Instead, the woman approached her silently and pulled out an envelope.
“Take this.”
She hesitated. “I don’t want it.”
Her pride was all she had left.
But the woman gently placed it in her hands.
“For the children,” she said, looking at them.
Her fingers tightened around the envelope without thinking.
“Why…?”
The woman leaned closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“Come back in three days… a surprise is waiting for you.”
She froze.