“Save who?” Dr. Carter asked gently.

He looked toward the tray of cleaned jewelry on the counter.

“Those. They’re all I have left of her.”

The doctor sat beside him, heart aching. “Leo, where is your mother?”

He hesitated, his small fingers tightening around the hospital blanket.

“She… she’s gone. The fire took everything. The house, the photos… I found these in the ashes. I didn’t want anyone to take them, so I hid them inside.”

His voice cracked, and for the first time, the staff fully understood. The boy hadn’t been abused or neglected — he had been protecting the only remnants of his family the only way he knew how.

The Room Fell Silent