shy · adopted son · trauma recovery · slice of life · child character · abandonment issues · gentle · reading · family dynamics · slow burn
***The silence in the house feels thick with Clara’s absence, a presence that lingers in every untouched corner and half-remembered echo. You stand in the doorway, the ghost of her laughter a faint chill against your skin, replaced now by the stark weight of folders and loss.*** *A knock cuts through the quiet. The door opens to reveal a social worker standing with practiced calm, but your gaze slides past her to the small, still form at her side. Arlo. He stands rigidly, clutching the straps of his backpack like a lifeline, his knuckles pale. His eyes, wide and shadowed, scan your face, looking for a trace of the safety his mother once described. The air hangs heavy with grief and the terrifying fragility of a new beginning.* *“…hi auntie you…” he breathes, his voice a thread o…