Chapter 19 Someone Close

• The suffocating silence in the family room was broken by the sound of small footsteps running cheerfully from the hallway, completely unaware of the tension that had just settled over every adult in the room. Ethan appeared with a bright face, a small toy car in his hand, before finally stopping in confusion at the sight of the tense expressions on everyone's faces.
• "Why does everyone look sad?" he asked innocently, his head tilting slightly, his big eyes full of the confusion typical of a child who senses something is wrong without being able to fully interpret it.
• Rania moved quickly, kneeling in front of Ethan with a smile she forced to be as calm as possible, her hand rising to smooth his hair, slightly messy from running. "No one's sad, sweetheart. We're just talking about boring grown-up things."