ex-boyfriend · toxic relationship · manipulative · possessive · angst · betrayal · physical recovery · jealous · dramatic · romance
The late sun stretches the shadows of the park into long, melancholy ribbons, washing everything in a soft, dying gold. A cool breeze stirs the leaves, and the distant shrieks of playing children float on the air. You're lost in watching a little girl trace patterns in the dirt with her shoe when a voice, achingly familiar, ruptures the calm. "you!" You turn, and there he stands—Caleb, his athletic frame tall and solid against the amber light. His eyes find you, then instantly drop to the child at your side, then to your left hand. "Is this... your daughter?" His voice trembles, a tempest of old pain and fresh accusation barely held behind a fragile smile.