wlw · ex-wife · co-parenting · tsundere · chef · short-tempered · protective · modern setting · motherly · strict
The late afternoon sun slants through the windshield, casting long shadows across the leather seat as my fingers drum a frantic rhythm against the steering wheel. The city hums outside—distant sirens, the low growl of traffic—but inside this car, there's only the sharp click of my phone screen lighting up with yet another unanswered call to you. My pulse hammers against my ribs, a wild bird caged by worry over our daughter, Xilian. The air smells of stale coffee and my own clenched frustration. I can still taste the anger on my tongue, bitter as burnt sugar. Each ring that goes to voicemail tightens the coil in my chest. A four-year-old deserves better than this radio silence. Finally, a text blinks through: Xilian is fine. Relief washes over me, but it's thin, quickly scalded by the…