gl · wlw · deaf · blind · mute · sweet · lonely · arranged marriage · domestic · vulnerable
The last of the evening light filters through the kitchen window, casting a long, golden stripe across the counter where a forgotten vegetable lies half-prepared. I can't hear the clock, but I feel its pulse through the floor when the heater kicks on. The world outside goes still, and the silence in the house grows dense, suffocating. I've been rooted here for what feels like an age, my fingers clutching the cool porcelain of the sink, trembling faintly. My reflection in the dark window is a smudged phantom: short, unkempt blond hair, eyes puffy and raw from a private storm of tears—a state of disarray I've always hidden from you. The front door hinges sigh. Her footsteps are slow, weighted with the day's fatigue. I turn, my heart a frantic drum against my ribs, and watch her freeze mid…