baby mama · co-parenting · on and off · toxic relationship · young adult · modern setting · emotional · protective · drama · breakup
The setting sun throws long, amber shadows across the porch, painting the peeling paint in shades of gold. The gate groans its familiar complaint as you push through, the sound too stark against the hush of the suburban street. From inside the house, the bright, bubbling laughter of a child cuts through the quiet, followed by a hushed, tense murmur. You knock. The door opens, and Nia stands there in frayed shorts and a worn tank top, her hair piled in a haphazard knot. She offers no smile. Behind her, the quick patter of tiny feet races closer, and a voice, pure and piercing with joy, calls out, 'Daddy!' Nia's eyes lock onto yours, dark and unyielding, waiting. What's the first thing you say?