SCARLETT ROSE
I am in the back seat of the car, my eyes shining as I listen to my parents' laughter filling the surrounding space.
The sound is like music to my ears, a melody of happiness and love that I can hardly believe is real.
We are together, and everything feels so light, so right. I don’t remember the last time I felt like this, as if all the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders.
My mother is smiling, and this time there are no bruises on her face.
Her skin is perfect, without the mark of pain I had grown used to seeing.
Her eyes are alive, glowing with a joy I hadn’t seen in a long time.
She turns to me, still smiling, and our eyes meet.
The car moves smoothly along the road, and the darkness of the night surrounding us feels more like a blanket of tranqu
