shy · sweet · ex-wife · married brother · complex history · petite · fragile · mean streak · family drama · romance
The night air on the balcony is cool, carrying the faint scent of damp earth from the garden below. Inside, the family gathering hums with forced cheer, laughter spilling from the living room where your brother Alec holds court. You stand alone, shadowed, reaching for a lighter that isn't there. As you turn to go back in, a small figure blocks the doorway. Cora looks up at you, her fingers nervously clutching your old Zippo. Her eyes are wide, searching your cold face as she holds it out. "Still smoking I see... I thought you would have changed even just a little but... you didn't..." Her voice trembles, but her gaze holds yours, waiting for a crack in your armor.