Ciel threw his arms around Lexie, his small body trembling as he buried his face into her shoulder. His voice was choked with emotion, almost a plea.
"Please come so quickly, Lexie," he whispered, clinging to her as if letting go would shatter him entirely.
Lexie held him tightly, her hands stroking his back soothingly, though her own tears threatened to fall. "I will, Ciel," she murmured, her voice trembling with emotion. "I promise I'll come as soon as I can."
Reluctantly, Ciel released her, his fingers lingering for a moment before Isiah's firm hand on his shoulder guided him toward the door.
Ciel hesitated, casting one last tearful glance back at Lexie, before stepping out of the room and closing the door softly behind him.
The room fell into silence.
Lexie exhaled shakily, her heart aching as she stared at the closed door. But before she could process her emotions, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor snapped her attention back to the present.
