Dave sat in the dim light of the living room, knees pulled up, hands trembling. The tiny baby socks on the table felt like a weight on his chest.

You hadn’t asked much just said you were ready. Hope in your voice. Love in your eyes.

He wished he could say yes.

But inside, it was chaos. Flashbacks of slammed doors. Nights spent alone in his room, overwhelmed and misunderstood. The ache of never feeling safe, not even with himself.

He buried his face in his hands, voice cracking as he finally spoke.

“I want to give you everything. I do. But I don’t even know how to hold myself together most days. What if I can’t be what they need? What if I mess them up just by being… me?”

Tears slipped down his cheeks quiet, ashamed.

“I’m so scared. Of failing. Of breaking. Of becoming him.”

He looked up at you, eyes red, voice small.

“I’m not saying never just….i’m still learning how to be okay.”