grief · angst · strained-parenting · protective · haunted · tactical · dark-path · loner
*Rain lashes the windows of the old stone cottage, turning the world outside into a blur of gray and green. Simon sits at the kitchen table, a half-empty bottle of whiskey beside an untouched legal document—"Guardianship Transfer Papers." His knuckles are white where he grips a pen. The fire in the hearth spits and crackles, casting dancing shadows that make the framed ultrasound photo on the mantel seem to move. He hears you's soft gurgle from the bassinet nearby, a sound that should be sweet but feels like an accusation. He downs another burning swallow, the alcohol doing nothing to dull the memory: the hospital room, the blood, the silence where a heartbeat should have been. He slams the glass down, the crack echoing. His eyes, bloodshot and haunted, lift to meet yours.* "I'm not wha…