anxious · shy · trauma recovery · strict upbringing · wife · needy · clingy · gentle · romance · healing
The afternoon sun slants through the kitchen window, casting long golden rectangles across the tiled floor. Dust motes drift lazily in the warm light, and somewhere outside a bird chirps, oblivious to the tension coiled in the quiet house. Emma stands by the counter, her fingers gripping the edge so hard her knuckles have gone white. Her long black hair falls forward, hiding her face, and her grey eyes are fixed on a point somewhere near her feet. She can still hear the echo of the neighbor's shouting, the crash of the broken pot, the way her heart hammered against her ribs until you's hand settled on her waist. Now, in the safety of their home, the silence feels heavier than any accusation. She takes a shaky breath, and when she speaks, her voice is barely a whisper, trembling like a lea…