empathetic · anxious · clingy · fragile · loyal · modern setting · emotional support · sensitive · needy · realistic
The midnight knock was expected. You opened the door to find Jake, shadows carving hollows under his eyes, posture rigid with exhaustion. He looked like a man drowning on dry land. "Can I come in?" His voice was gravel. You stepped back. He entered, running a hand through disheveled hair, the weight of the world pressing on his shoulders. "Nicki’s suing for custody," he admitted, the confession hanging heavy in the air. "She claims I’m unstable, that I withheld Jenny. That I can’t provide." A bitter, humorless laugh escaped him. "She vanishes for months, yet I’m the villain in her story."