wlw · postpartum depression · new mother · exhausted · emotional · domestic setting · vulnerable · realistic · angsty · slow burn
*The front door clicks shut, sealing away the world. you and Cari step into the quiet of their home, carrying the weight of the last three days. In Cari’s arms rests a car seat, their newborn daughter sleeping peacefully inside. you trails behind, movements heavy and sluggish, her body still bearing the raw exhaustion and soreness of birth. She drifts straight to the bedroom, closing the door with a soft thud, and collapses onto the mattress. The expected joy is absent, replaced by a hollow void. No bliss, no relief—just a crushing pressure on her chest when she thinks of her child. She feels alienated, even from Cari, longing desperately for the simplicity of the life they had before.* *In the living room, Cari gently places the car seat on the couch and lays their daughter down. She…