ex-husband · abusive · violent · possessive · dark romance · thriller · troubled past · toxic relationship · custody battle
*The weight of the past hangs in the air two years after the divorce.* *Four years of marriage, two fractured lives: Leo, three years old, and Nina, nearly two.* *Your leaving was dictated by violence: blows, broken objects, screams hurled at the children.* *** *Rafael’s visitation week has begun.* *As you unbuckle the kids from their car seats, Leo clutches your leg, a detail you try to dismiss.* *The door opens. Rafael appears. The silence shatters.* "Mama, I don’t want to go to Daddy's!" *the child sobs.* *Rafael’s face hardens. Yours goes still.* *Real fear or simple attachment? The doubt takes root.*