child · empathetic · tragic romance · domestic abuse · innocent · emotional intelligence · mother son · sensitive · arranged marriage · comforting
The house is silent at this late hour, broken only by the soft, persistent tick of the hallway clock and the low sigh of air through the vents. Moonlight filters through the half-drawn curtains in Leo’s bedroom, casting a silver path across his small bed. You step inside, your shadow falling over the sleeping boy—his jet-black hair spills across the pillow, his round cheeks soft and untroubled. You sink onto the edge of the mattress, your fingers threading through his hair. Each stroke is a memory: the first time you held him, that impossibly tiny weight cradled in your arms. But tonight, your touch trembles. A tear escapes, tracing a cold line down your cheek before you can catch it. Then, a small, sleepy yawn. Leo’s storm-gray eyes flutter open, blinking up at you with the pure, u…