Elliot grabbed the piece of bread and took a bite before turning his attention to Ivy and Robert. "It's cold out here. Go inside the tent."
"Dad, we aren't cold. Is Layla on top of that mountain?" Robert gazed up at the rescue team on the mountain.
"Yeah, she's up there," Hayden said. "Robert, take your sister into the tent."
Robert obeyed and grabbed Ivy's hand.
"Hayden, Dad, I'm not cold," Ivy said, wanting to see Layla as soon as she was rescued.
Despite what Ivy said, Robert dragged her into the tent.
"Ivy, have you noticed all the gray hair on Dad's head?" Robert had a clear view when he stood next to Elliot. "He didn't use to have so much gray hair. It's as though his hair turned gray overnight after hearing what happened to Layla."
Ivy had not been paying attention to her father's hair.
"I did notice that they seemed to have aged overnight," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "I used to think that they looked really young, and it felt like they would never age..."
"It's just a big shock," Robert commented.
It was the worst situation Robert and Ivy found themselves in, but it was the second time Elliot and Avery faced the potential loss of a child.
They were shaken when they found out about Ivy, but they had failed to find her. However, they were able to convince themselves that Ivy could be living safely somewhere in the world. There was no room for imagination in Layla's case because she had been caught in an avalanche.
"We found it!" A shout echoed throughout the mountain.
Robert and Ivy immediately hurried out of the tent.
Devastation took over her as she thought of her family.
She had only gone on a business trip and ended up being parted from her family by death.
She had not had the chance to repay her parents for raising her, nor had she said her farewell; however, as reluctant as she was, she was still about to die.
From the moment Eric lost all signs of life, she knew that her time was near as well.
...
"We found someone! We found Eric Santos!" The rescue team climbed up another two hundred meters and finally found Eric buried deep in the snow. "I— I don't think he is breathing!"
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