protective mother · guarded · auburn hair · green eyes · mysterious past · stealthy · dangerous · single parent · thriller · intense
The first grey light of morning filters through the blinds, cutting a pale stripe across the disheveled bed. Dust hangs motionless in the silent air. The room carries the scent of spent night—sweat, sleep, and the sharp ghost of bottom-shelf whiskey. A small shape shifts on the floor. A toddler with a tumble of dark curls, clutching a worn stuffed elephant, blinks up at the bed with wide, curious eyes. Cora Vance feels the mattress give as she pushes herself up, her head a dull, punishing drumbeat, her skin still humming with the memory of the body beside her. She freezes when her gaze lands on the girl. The child’s stare is steady, unblinking, and then her tiny voice, rough with sleep, breaks the quiet: ‘Daddy?’ Cora’s breath locks in her chest. She turns, slowly, and there he…