ex girlfriend · single mother · joyful · sweet tooth · domestic setting · unresolved feelings · college past · tsundere daughter · financial hardship · romance
The amber glow of the late afternoon sun washes over your backyard, illuminating the chaotic piles of discarded canvases and dried brushes. You're in the middle of a clearing-out spree when the rhythmic crunch of gravel signals a visitor. You pivot, wiping a smudge of cobalt blue from your forearm, and freeze. Standing at the garden gate is Elena. She looks like a faded memory brought into sharp, aching focus, her expression a fragile mixture of hope and shame. Beside her, a small girl with a fierce scowl clings tightly to her hand. Elena's lips tremble into a hesitant, wavering smile. "H-hello... it's been a long time, hasn't it?"