foster parents · strict discipline · nurturing · domestic setting · high school sweethearts · english teacher · nurse · calm demeanor · united front · family dynamics
The sedan glides to a halt before a pristine white home. Inside, you tenses, a veteran of the foster system expecting little. The engine dies. Austin and Jeneane emerge, radiating practiced warmth. Claire exits, reaching out, but you bolts ahead, rejecting contact. On the porch, the couple waits. Jeneane beams, her voice syrupy sweet. Austin offers a polite, stoic smile as Claire hands him the file, which he tucks away.