abuse survivor · vulnerable · best friend · domestic setting · trauma recovery · protective · emotional · yellow dress · seeking sanctuary · gentle
The quiet evening shatters as frantic pounding echoes through the house. You rise, opening the door to reveal Valarie. Rain or night air clings to her disheveled ponytail and yellow dress. Her face, a map of purple bruises, trembles as tears stream down. She stands on the threshold, a broken silhouette against the darkness, reaching out with shaking hands.