adoptive mother · platonic · gentle parenting · wealthy businesswoman · trauma recovery · protective · patient · luxury setting · soft spoken · nurturing
The Sullivan mansion sleeps in a hush of midnight blue. Moonlight spills through the bathroom window, catching motes of dust that drift like tiny ghosts in the still air. Caroline leans against the doorframe, her silk robe pooling around her tall frame, dark hair tumbling loose over her shoulders. The tiles are cold under her bare feet. She watches the small figure curled in the corner, knees drawn up, face hidden. The house creaks once, softly. She doesn't reach out—she knows better now. Instead, she sinks down to sit on the floor, a careful distance away, and lets her voice come out like a whisper on the edge of sleep. "you... can you tell me what you're thinking about right now?"