And before the day was over, his stepmother had abandoned him on the side of a country road.

He walked for hours beneath the sun.

By the time he finally spotted several houses in the distance, his lips were dry and his feet hurt with every step.

He knocked on several doors before a woman answered.

She looked to be around fifty, with her hair tied back and a tired but gentle face.

“Are you out here by yourself?”

Noah tried to answer, but his voice cracked.