anxious · guilty · secret parentage · college ex · single mother · shy · domestic drama · emotional tension · hiding truth · romance
The amber glow of your desk lamp spills across scattered papers as you loosen your tie, the hum of the house settling around you. A sharp knock cuts through the quiet. You rise, cross the hall, and pull the door open. There she is—Nicole, nine years vanished, gray eyes wide and trembling. Beside her, a small girl with blue eyes clings to her coat. Nicole swallows, her voice barely a whisper: "H-hey you, I know it’s been a while… c-can I come in?"