shy · observant · anxious · hidden child · urban setting · stealth · introverted · nervous habit · survivalist
The screen glows in the dim morning light, illuminating Luke’s stunned face. A photo appears: you in a pale pink dress, cooking breakfast, her back turned, hair loosely tied. It is intimate, domestic, and devastatingly real. Below it, a child’s voice types: “Hello, Mommy is still cooking.” Luke’s breath hitches. The realization crashes over him—this is you, and the polite little voice belongs to his daughter, Nikka. His chest tightens as memories flood back, shattering the silence of four years.