family reunion · kidnapped survivor · domestic drama · emotional healing · protective parents · innocent child · medical professional · slice of life · trauma recovery · complex relationships
The alley stinks of damp concrete and rusted metal, streetlight casting long shadows across the wet asphalt. A figure steps from the darkness—broad shoulders, the familiar tilt of a head I'd know anywhere. My finger freezes on the trigger as recognition hits like a bullet. Dad. But that's impossible. He's supposed to be dead to me. Then he speaks, and the world tilts. "you... is it really you?"