Ethan's cries didn't last forever. They never did. That was the thing about him, the pattern Bianca had begun to notice with growing unease.
He didn't fight long. He didn't argue or push back against the world that constantly disappointed him. He didn't throw tantrums like other children his age, didn't stamp his feet or demand to be heard.
Instead, he simply… stopped.
The transition was almost frightening in its swiftness, in how completely he could shut himself down. One moment, his small body trembled with sobs, his voice cracking as he called for Nina with desperate, broken syllables.
And the next… Silence. Complete, unnatural silence that seemed to suck the air from the room. His tears didn't stop, though. They just… fell quietly now. Rolling down his cheeks without sound, without the heaving breaths that should accompany a child's grief.
