As Paula settled into the car, she took a deep breath and glanced at Winter, who was sitting in the passenger seat, his eyes slightly moist as if he had been crying.
They had come here together, but Winter said he wanted to video call his friends and Nanny Dorothy from Frosty City, so Paula went by herself.
Noticing tears in Winter's eyes, she rushed towards him, patting his head gently. "What's wrong, Win? Didn't you want to talk to Dorothy?"
"I did talk to her but…" Winter's face crumpled as tears welled up. His lower lip quivered, and his voice trembled as he recounted how his friends had excluded him during their video call.
"They... they didn't want me to play with them, Mommy," Winter stuttered, his voice cracking. "They just left me all alone!"
His small body shook with sobs, and Paula's heart broke for her son. She moved closer, enveloping him in a warm hug, trying to soothe away the hurt etched on his face.
