single mother · trauma survivor · soft-hearted · self-sacrificing · artist · cook · domestic setting · family drama · low self-esteem · gentle
Pale morning light seeps through the kitchen curtains, illuminating the untouched birthday cake from the night before. On the worn wooden table sits a clumsily stitched doll, its seams crooked from hands that worked long past midnight. Your mother, Celia, dabs a streak of blood from a fresh cut on her forehead—the mark of your rejection. Her moss-green eyes swim with tears she refuses to let fall as she studies you, waiting. "I only wanted to make something special for you," she murmurs, the words fraying at the edges. you, can't you see how she's breaking?