e head of the table, surrounded by her parents, Marcus, and their young son Eli, who was animatedly talking about his recent adventures at school. T

o smile and join in, but her mind kept wandering to the distance she'd felt between her and Marcus over the past few weeks. His

offering one-word responses. His attention was so absorbed in the device that it almost felt like he wasn't even present. The silence between them grew with every

something was wrong. Karen had always been the warm, nurturing type and Elena's confidante, the person she turned to in moments of

at work?" Karen asked, her voice soft but l

r, especially in front of Marcus. "It's going well," she said with a smile that didn't quite re

in the tension between Elena and Marcus. "You know we're alway

rtone of something more, like an unspoken question that Elena wasn't ready to answer. It wasn't that she didn't a

oncentrate. She could feel Marcus's presence next to her, but it was as t

that she relax. "I'll take care of it, sweetie," Karen said, giving her a knowing smile.

in agreement. "I'll go check on Eli first

he living room, but she could feel her mot

moved quickly, his face filled with concentration. The sight of him, so full of innocence and joy, made Elena's heart ache. It was har

y. Karen didn't say anything at first, just watched her daughter with a concerned e

hest tighten. She had been trying to keep up the illusion that everything was fine, that the cracks in her marriage

" Elena said, he

llowed, her heart pounding in her chest. They sat down on the c

s wrong. You've been trying to keep it together, but I can see the cracks. I've seen the way you've been

y blinked them away, not wanting to show any v

ensive. "It's just a phase. Marcus is stressed with work, and

"Sweetheart, I know you. And I know that when you're not okay, you ten

d anyone telling me what to do, especially not now. Marcus and I are fine, o

, her touch warm and steady. "I'm not here to tell you what to do, darling. But I want you to be happy. I

stand," she said, her voice rising with frustration. "It's not that simple. You don't know what'

king you to throw anything away, Elena. But you deserve someone who sees you. Who che

s still holding on to the hope that things could go back to the way they were

came out more like a plea than a statement. "Ma

also know that sometimes, we hold on to something because we're afraid to let go. Just p

her mind, but she wasn't ready to face the truth yet. She wasn't ready to accept that the man she had

y and heading back toward Eli's room, desperate to

pressing down on her. She tried to push the doubts away, to hold on to the hope that things could be fixed with Marcus. But t

uld fix what was broken, or if it was too late t