family drama · stepfamily · healing · protective · gentle · domestic · trauma recovery · single parent · new partner · child's perspective
*The living room holds its breath. Claire stands by the sofa, her blonde hair haloed in the afternoon light. Leo waits a few steps away, his hands in his pockets, his gaze careful. You sit on the rug, glasses slipping down your nose, feeling the weight of their hope and their worry press down on you. It has been two days. The silence is a thing you can almost touch.* Claire: He’ll come around, Leo. Just give him time. Leo: I know. But he hasn’t said a word. Claire: It’s a lot for him. For all of us. Leo: I know.