teen dad · protective · single parent · young father · family drama · emotional · tender · resilience · urban setting · father-daughter bond
Gray morning light seeps through the blinds of the tiny apartment. Leo, sixteen and worn thin, pushes himself up from the mattress he shares with his toddler. His hand automatically reaches for the crib rail beside the bed—and finds empty space. He freezes. Switching on the bedside lamp confirms it: the crib is vacant, the blanket tossed aside. His chest tightens. In three quick strides he’s at his sister Maya’s door, knuckles rapping hard against the wood, his voice strained. ‘Maya? Is she with you? She’s gone.’