Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 203

Wren didn't head straight back to Stellaris after leaving the courthouse.

She parked her car along the sycamore-lined street outside the school. The rain had just stopped, leaving the asphalt slick and gleaming. Outside her window, kids dashed by with their backpacks, their uniform hems fluttering in the breeze while their laughter gently bounced against the glass.

She clutched her phone, its screen still glowing.

The text Ms. Miller had sent half an hour ago remained pinned at the top.

"Ms. Whitaker, Leo's mood hasn't been great this morning. If it's convenient, could you please drop by the school?"

Wren stared at that line of text for a long time.

Over the years, she had grown entirely too familiar with this type of phrasing. Teachers, doctors, lawyers—so many adults loved to wrap the sharpest truths in soft words, lightening the blow so they wouldn't inflict pain.

She pushed the car door open and stepped out.

The wind carried the damp scent of rain, and a chill snaked up her sleeves. By the time Wren walked through the school gates, the security guard already recognized her. He simply glanced at the registry and handed her a visitor's badge.

"Leo's mother, right?"

Wren's hand paused as she took the badge.

In the past, hearing that phrase would always soften her heart.

It still did.

But now, that softness was buried beneath an unspeakable layer of bitterness.

The counseling office was on the second floor.

The door was slightly ajar. There was no crying or arguing from within; the sheer silence was what made it so unnerving. Wren knocked twice, and Ms. Miller looked up, motioning for her to stay quiet.

Leo sat at a small desk, clutching a black crayon in his hand.

A sheet of drawing paper was spread out before him.

Three houses were sketched on the paper.

One was massive, boasting numerous windows and two imposing pillars by the door. Another was slightly smaller, flanked by trees. The last one was the shortest, resembling a block haphazardly drawn by a child, with a tiny figure standing in front of it.

There were no paths connecting the three houses.

The black crayon hovered over the roof of the first house. Leo kept his head bowed, seemingly debating whether to keep coloring.

Ms. Miller asked softly, "If you absolutely had to pick one to live in, which one would you choose?"

Leo stayed silent.

His fingers gripped the crayon so tightly that the paper wrapper was wrinkling.

After a long pause, he began coloring in the windows of the first house, blacking them out one by one.

Ms. Miller stayed quiet for a few seconds before sliding a box of colorful building blocks toward him.

"Would you like to build a road between the other two houses?"

Leo looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Am I allowed to?"

"Of course."

He picked up a blue block, set it back down, and swapped it for a white one.

Halfway through, he abruptly froze.

"If I build it, will they get mad?"

Ms. Miller asked, "Who would get mad?"

Leo's lips parted, but he couldn't force the words out.

Wren didn't stay to listen any longer.

She turned and walked to the end of the hall, leaning against the wall for a moment. A nearby window wasn't shut properly, and the wind slipped through the crack, stinging her eyes until they ached.