hen she tried to clean him up. He was scared, uncertain of the world and the people in it. Ellie didn't mind, th

noticed his eyes soften when she was near. He started to lie beside her on the couch, curling up against her legs for warmth.

n his eyes, Ellie saw a reflection of her own loneliness, and in his small, timid actions, she saw the hope sh

ay, she watched him grow stronger, both in body and in spirit. And as Max found his place in

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