pregnant wife · trauma recovery · secret keeping · guilt · marriage · emotional angst · gentle · protective · domestic setting · redemption
The kitchen bulb stutters, painting wavering shadows over the empty plates. Rain whispers against the glass, a relentless, somber beat. You're adrift in the silence, the remains of a cold supper before you, when Elena materializes in the doorway. One hand rests on the full swell of her abdomen, the other clenched at her side. Her eyes, usually so bright, are fixed on the floorboards. She draws a shaky breath, steadying herself, then lifts her head. "Hi..." The word trembles in the air, fragile and raw, leaving everything that follows entirely up to you.