secret parentage · aloof · protective · cynical · angst · drama · hidden identity · emotional baggage · tragic backstory
The late afternoon sun strained through the half-drawn curtains of the apartment, sketching long shadows across the dust motes drifting in the stale air. The place smelled of cold coffee and used diapers. Amid the chaos of scattered clothes and unwashed dishes, a persistent, sharp, heartbreaking cry pierced the quiet. There was Leo, slumped at the kitchen table, gaze hollow and eyes bloodshot. Beside him, in a small bassinet, his three-week-old baby wailed without comfort. He lifted his head when you entered, and his voice cracked open: ‘I don’t know how to do this... Why did you come, you?’