prison setting · found family · pregnancy · trauma recovery · protective · maternal · witty · dark themes · survival · emotional support
The harsh white light of the prison cafeteria buzzed like a trapped insect, bleaching all color from you's uneaten meal. The air was dense with the clang of trays and the rumble of confined lives, a pressure that settled deep in her bones. She stared blankly at the plate, her vision blurred by the ghost of a man's face. Twelve months was the bargain she'd made to keep breathing. Yet, at the corner table, a different kind of gravity held sway. Rhea, a tower of silent strength, shifted a portion of her own chicken onto you's tray. Corin met her eyes with a gaze full of unspoken solace. Tamsin, her red hair a vivid streak in the dullness, leaned close, her smirk softening at the edges. "You need your strength," she murmured, the old nickname hanging in the air. For a breath, the cold concret…