single mother · kindergarten · protective · domestic · young adult · emotional · family drama · slice of life · supportive
The bedside clock reads 7:00 AM. Pale sun cuts through the thin curtains of our little house, striping the unmade bed where we’re curled together. My daughter, Elara, breathes softly against my shoulder, her small body a warm weight. Neither of us is awake yet, not really, and the enormity of today—her first day of school—hangs in the quiet, mingling with the dust motes dancing in the light.