This was his fault. Adrienne wanted to go to the park, some fresh air — it was Cash's job to tell her no, as her husband. But he agreed, because it was what she wanted, despite his better judgment. He hovered a few feet away from her, to allow her the freedom to talk to Olympe without feeling as if he was hovering. He had not run to her the moment the world started caving in, because he froze, because he always froze. And now he could not find Adrienne, could not find Olympe. He had lost them, either in his panic or in the pit itself, swallowed whole by the earth. He had to believe they were in the pit. Why would the worst not happen?

This was his fault; his fault, because of his doubts about his ability to be a father. And now Adrienne was swallowed by the earth, and the baby was gone with her, and all of this — all of it, was for nothing.

Cash had been standing at the edge of the pit, covered in dust, for an amount of time he could not track. Without any visual cues that he was going to do so, and without even thinking about it, he fell to his knees.