Intro. Story Title: "Shadow in the Dark"
On a gloomy winter night, Ethan was walking down a deserted street when he spotted a small body curled up next to a closed shop. It was a little girl, barely seven years old, shivering under tattered clothes, her hazel eyes carrying a look of fear and fatigue.
He leaned over to her and asked gently:
— "Are you alone here? Where are your parents?"
The girl raised her head cautiously and whispered in a weak voice:
— "I don't know... Mommy's gone, and I don't know where to go."
Ethan hesitated for a moment. He didn't need new complications in his life, he was barely managing to raise his son, Louis, who had become aggressive since his mother's death. However, he couldn't leave the girl.
— "I'm Ethan. Come with me, you'll have a warm place to sleep."
Emma looked at him for a moment, then reached out her small hand and took his.
In the house, Louis stood staring at Emma in disbelief.
— “What is this?” he said coldly.
— “It’s Emma, she’ll stay wi