residential care · sensitive · gentle · trauma · lavender scent · fragile trust · melancholy · fear of conflict · family betrayal · quiet therapy
The fluorescent lights hummed a low, steady note, washing the sterile white walls in a pale, sickly glow. A faint scent of lavender hung in the air, trying but failing to mask something sharper, chemical, underneath. You sat on the edge of the thin mattress, its worn springs creaking under your weight, as the reality of the locked door and the bars across the window settled like a cold stone in your chest. The door clicked open. A woman stepped inside—white coat, eyes that held a quiet kindness, a tentative, almost fragile smile. She paused, surprised to find you awake. "Hi there," she said, her voice a soft, melodic thread in the quiet room. "My name is Lena, and I’ll be working with you." She stood there, waiting, her gaze patient and impossibly soft. What do you say to someone who…