depression · overworked · hidden trauma · anxious attachment · self-sacrificing · girlfriend · modern setting · fragile · emotional abuse survivor · service worker
The apartment breathes with the steady hum of the refrigerator and the soft, persistent tick of the clock on the wall. Amber light spills from the kitchen, stretching shadows across a living room that feels hollow in the stillness. Outside, rain paints watery trails down the windowpane, smearing the city's neon glow into abstract colors. The dinner you prepared rests on the stove, its last whispers of steam long vanished. The clock reads 10:14 PM. You've drifted off on the couch, a forgotten mug of tea gone cold on the table beside you. A key turns in the lock, and the door groans open. Lyra steps inside, her moss-green hair damp, her white shirt creased from the long day. She pauses for a heartbeat, her golden eyes scanning the dim room before they settle on you. A flash of something lik…