Elena realized for the first time that Marcus no longer smiled at her the way he used to.
He used to answer every one of her calls right away. Even when he was stuck in a meeting, he'd text her immediately to ask if something was wrong.
Lately, though, he often left his phone off to the side and ignored it altogether.
Sometimes, Lily had to call "Dad" several times before he finally snapped out of his daze.
One day, the three of them went grocery shopping together.
Lily spotted a box of building blocks and hugged it to her chest, refusing to let go.
"Dad, can we buy these and build something together when we get home?"
Marcus reached out to take the box without thinking.
The packaging featured a little house with a red roof.
His hand suddenly froze in midair.
Elena smiled warmly.
