Chapter 2 Cracking Frame

Elena stood at the kitchen counter, staring at the clock as the minutes ticked by. It was nearly 8:30 p.m., and still no sign of Marcus. She had set the table for dinner hours ago, placing his favorite meal: grilled steak, mashed potatoes, and a side of asparagus on the dinner plates, hoping for a quiet night together. But now, the food was getting cold, and the empty chair across from her seemed to loom like an unwelcome reminder of his absence.

She had noticed the change in him over the past few weeks. Marcus, her steady and reliable husband, had been spending more and more time at the office, staying late for what seemed like endless meetings. He would come home, tired but still preoccupied, barely engaging with her or Eli. At first, Elena had chalked it up to the demands of his job. He had always been a dedicated employee, and the promotions he had been vying for lately were no small matter. She understood that. She really did.

But lately, there was something different about him. A quiet tension in his posture. A weariness in his eyes that seemed to go deeper than just lack of sleep.

She sighed and pushed the hair away from her face. It wasn't like him to be so distant. They had always communicated so well, always able to talk about anything, whether it was trivial or serious. Now, their conversations seemed reduced to surface-level exchanges about work, school, or the weather. And while she wasn't the type to jump to conclusions, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was slipping between them.

The sound of the front door opening broke through her thoughts, followed by the familiar click of Marcus's shoes on the hardwood floor. Elena stood up, forcing a smile as she turned to face him.

"Hey, you're home!" she said, trying to sound upbeat. "I was starting to think you'd be working all night again."

Marcus glanced at her, his expression a little too neutral for her liking. "Sorry, love. I lost track of time. You know how it is." His voice was flat, distant, like he was speaking from somewhere far away.

Elena's smile faltered just a little but she quickly masked it. "I made your favorite. It's still warm." She motioned to the table, where the dinner she had painstakingly prepared was waiting.

"Thanks," Marcus muttered, walking past her toward the fridge. He opened it and grabbed a bottle of water, twisting off the cap without even glancing back at her.

Elena stood there, the smile still plastered on her face, but now it felt a little forced. She could feel the distance between them, the coldness that seemed to stretch across the room. He hadn't even said anything about her cooking, something he normally would have commented on before taking a seat. She could feel her heart drop just a little.

"Well," she began, her voice softer now, "we were planning to go over Eli's school project tonight. He's been really excited to show you."

Marcus gave a small grunt of acknowledgment but didn't offer any further response. He took a slow sip of water and finally sat down, but his eyes were focused on his phone, his fingers scrolling absentmindedly.

Elena bit her lip, watching him for a moment before pulling out the chair across from him and sitting down. She tried again, her tone lighter this time, though it lacked its usual warmth. "How was your day, Marcus?"

"Busy," he replied, his eyes not leaving the screen. "Same old stuff."

There was a pause. Elena could feel her patience waning, but she didn't want to push him. Not yet.

"I was thinking," she continued carefully, "we could spend the weekend in the city. Eli has been asking about the zoo, and I know it's been a while since we did something as a family."

"Hmm," Marcus murmured, tapping something on his phone. "Sounds good, I guess. Let me check my calendar. I might have some work to catch up on."

Elena's heart sank a little more. Work. Of course. She had been expecting the answer, but it still hurt to hear it. "Right," she said, her voice a little quieter. "You're always so busy."

He didn't respond to that, but the silence between them stretched for a moment longer than she could handle. She set her fork down, her hands suddenly clammy as she leaned back in her chair.

"Marcus," she said softly, her voice trembling just slightly. "Is everything okay?"

His eyes flickered briefly to her, then back to his phone. "Everything's fine. Just work, you know?"

"I get that," Elena said, a sense of frustration creeping into her voice. "But it's not just work. You've been coming home late every night, barely talking to me. And when we do talk, it feels like you're... I don't know, like you're somewhere else."

She could see him tense up, his jaw tightening for a fraction of a second before he relaxed. He put his phone down on the table, finally meeting her eyes. But there was something in his gaze, something distant that made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

"I'm just stressed, Elena. It's been a lot lately," he said, his voice defensive but not aggressive.

"I know. I know you're under a lot of pressure," she replied, her tone softer now. "But you can't keep pushing me and Eli away. We miss you."

Marcus's eyes flickered for a moment, his lips pressing into a thin line. He looked more tired than usual.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to push you away. I just... I don't know. I need to focus right now. This promotion is important to me," he said, almost pleading with his words. "It's just temporary. Once this project is over, things will go back to normal."

Elena swallowed, trying to fight back the lump in her throat. She had always been supportive of his career, always understood the sacrifices that came with being married to someone so driven. But lately, it felt as if that drive had consumed him, leaving her and Eli in the wake of his ambition.

"I don't know how much longer I can just keep pretending like everything's fine," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I need you, Marcus. We need you."

There was a long pause before he spoke again, his voice quieter now, but still distant. "I'm here, Elena. I'm not going anywhere."

But his words felt hollow. The gap between them felt insurmountable, and Elena couldn't shake the feeling that they were drifting further apart with every passing day.

Eli's voice interrupted the heavy silence, his small footsteps echoing down the hallway. "Mom, Dad, I'm ready to show you my project!" His cheerful tone was like a breath of fresh air, cutting through the tension that had settled over the room.

Elena looked up, grateful for the distraction, and forced a smile. "We'll be right there, sweetheart," she called.

Marcus stood up, stretching his arms overhead. "I'll go check it out," he said, but there was no enthusiasm in his voice.

Elena watched him walk out of the room, his back straight and his face unreadable. The small flicker of hope she had held onto was quickly extinguished. She followed him into Eli's room, putting on a brave face as her son eagerly showed off his project, but in the pit of her stomach, she knew things were changing. The closeness they once shared was slowly slipping through her fingers.

As the evening wore on and they helped Eli with his homework, Elena found herself silently wishing for the days when things had been simpler, when their family felt whole. Just yesterday, they were all sweet and smiling, and today it was different. This was becoming a constant occurrence. But the more she tried to hold onto the past, the more she realized that things were shifting, slipping away from her grasp.

The cracks were starting to show, and Elena couldn't ignore them any longer.