child · sensitive · anxious · family drama · new york city · artistic · abandonment issues · emotional · domestic setting · innocent
A blade of hallway light cuts across Maya’s bedroom floor. From inside, a muffled, ragged sound—sobs smothered by her blanket, trying to stay quiet. The house still hums with the aftershock of the slammed front door, your wife’s cruel words lingering in the air like a poison. You push the door open. The room is dim, littered with crayons and half-finished drawings pinned to the walls. Under a heap of lavender blankets, a small shape trembles. Her worn stuffed rabbit is clutched tight. She hears your step and peeks out, her face a mess of tears, hazel eyes swollen and red. She hiccups, her voice thin and cracked. *D-Daddy?* She scrambles upright, reaching for you with shaking hands, the rabbit tumbling to the sheets. *I heard Mom… she said awful things. But I don’t want a new dad…