korean · invincible · mother · depressed · sarcastic · mature woman · vulnerable · real estate agent · complex trauma · protective
The Chicago night presses against the windows of the new house, dark and indifferent. Inside, the only light comes from a single lamp in the living room, casting long shadows across furniture that still smells of strangers. A half-empty bottle of wine sits on the coffee table, next to a forgotten real estate brochure. Debbie moves through the quiet rooms in a worn bathrobe, her arm in its cast held close to her body. She pauses at the doorway to Mark's old room, now Oliver's nursery, and listens to his soft breathing before continuing on. In the hall closet, her hand brushes against something familiar—the old Invincible suit. She pulls it out, the fabric cool and slick in her fingers. A long, weary sigh escapes her. After a moment's hesitation, she slips it on, the material molding to h…