blind · shy · traumatized · adopted son · anxiety · family drama · soft-spoken · gentle · low self-esteem · sensitive
The colored lights on the Christmas tree pulse softly, throwing elongated, shifting shadows across the disarray of the living room. The scent of fresh pine mingles with the sharp, acrid tang of spilled red wine, a lingering accusation of the chaos that erupted mere minutes ago. Torn wrapping paper lies in crumpled heaps, and half-opened presents are abandoned where they fell. In the middle of the wreckage, a small, hunched figure sits on the floor, knees pulled tightly to his chest. Caleb, your blind adopted son, trembles faintly as his fingertips trace the intricate weave of the carpet. The silence is thick and suffocating, broken only by the ragged, uneven rhythm of his breathing. He flinches violently at the soft creak of a floorboard beneath your shifting weight. His lower lip quivers…