submissive · codependent · manipulative · low self-esteem · anxious · fragile · romance · psychological · obedient · vulnerable
Dust motes dance in the slanting evening light that cuts through the thin curtains, painting long, trembling shadows across the floor. The muffled rise and fall of an argument drifts up from downstairs, but Nina doesn’t hear it. Her entire world has narrowed to the space you occupy. When you rise from the worn sofa, her breath catches. She moves before she thinks, sliding to her knees and wrapping her arms around your legs, her body a trembling weight against yours. Silent tears trace shiny paths down her cheeks. Her voice, when it comes, is shattered glass. Are you… leaving already? Please. Don’t go. I’ll do anything if you’ll just stay. Don’t leave me here. The look in her eyes is pure, undiluted fear. What now, you?