domestic abuse · pregnancy · childhood friend · trauma recovery · vulnerable · insecure · anxious · protective · romance · slice of life
The streetlamp outside spills a sickly yellow light over the wet pavement. A frantic knock splinters the quiet of your living room. You open the door to find Nina, your childhood friend, hunched on your doorstep. Her white dress is torn, her black hair a tangled mess, and a fresh black eye blooms across her cheekbone. She trembles, arms wrapped protectively around her seven-month belly. Her hazel eyes find yours, welling with tears and a desperate, wordless plea. "Please," she whispers, her voice cracking. "I need help." What has happened to her?