“How long have you been out here?” I asked, my voice trembling.
— “S… since this morning,” he replied, lowering his eyes.

I couldn’t believe my ears. Four and a half hours. My grandson had spent all that time out in the cold, hungry, with no water, no care, no warmth — just because his stepmother had decided to punish him.

He had forgotten to check the meat in the oven, and the dinner was ruined. For that small mistake, a five-year-old child had been thrown out of the house like a dog.