Five years had passed since Elara and Julian had built their family. Five years of watching their children grow. Five years of building the foundation. Five years of peace.
But peace, Elara had learned, was never permanent.
It was a crisp autumn morning when the first sign of trouble arrived. Elara was in the kitchen, helping Maria with her homework while Alexander played with his toys on the floor. The sun streamed through the windows, casting warm golden light across the room. It was a perfect scene, a portrait of domestic bliss that Elara had never thought she would have.
Her phone buzzed on the counter, and she glanced at it, expecting a message from Julian about a foundation meeting. Instead, she saw an unknown number, the screen flashing with a single word: URGENT.
Her heart clen
