Chapter 4 - The Red Toy Car
Leo stopped just a few feet away from the father and daughter. The surrounding crowd held its collective breath. The silence was so absolute that the deafening heartbeat of the room seemed to echo off the walls.
Without uttering a single word, the boy slowly sank to his knees on the freezing marble floor. He reached out and gently placed the red die-cast car on the ground. With a small, scratched hand, he gave it a light push. The tiny wheels spun, emitting a faint, rhythmic hum of friction against the stone. The car rolled forward in a perfectly straight line, coming to a gentle halt right at the toes of Arthur's polished leather oxfords and the hem of Seraphina's white dress.
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That red car... Arthur’s pupils dilated in sheer shock. It was the exact model of the vehicle his wife had been driving on that rainy afternoon. Beside him, Seraphina’s small shoulders gave a violent shudder. The impenetrable fortress of ice guarding her mind began to splinter. Blurry, terrifying flashes—the screech of burning rubber, the shattering of safety glass, the acrid smell of smoke—rushed back, slamming into the little girl who had spent two years running from reality.
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