Eric walked over and silently sat down next to his wife. Ella's eyes were unfocused as she sat there quietly, holding the small airplane in her hands and staring blankly into space.
Thinking about how little Elias had been happily playing with the plane that morning, Ella felt a wave of anguish. Her chest tightened, and her eyes began to redden again.
Eric gently took her hand in one of his, while his other hand softly smoothed her disheveled hair.
Lucas, sitting nearby, said nothing. He quietly left the living room to give them some space.
Ella's eyelashes fluttered, resembling the delicate wings of a butterfly. The dim lighting in the living room cast soft shadows on her face, creating crescent-like shapes under her lashes.
"I'm sorry, honey... I failed to protect our son," Eric said, his deep eyes filled with sorrow and cold resolve. "But the fact that they waited this long to take Elias means... they weren't doing it for money."
