The faint hope of the morning was gone before the sun even set.
That evening, the familiar stench of alcohol filled the apartment, and her father stumbled through the door, shouting before she even saw him. Nina's tiny body trembled as he swung his fists, her mother trying in vain to protect herself.
Every crash, every yell, every slammed object made Nina's ears ring. She ran to her corner, hiding behind the sofa, clutching her teddy bear like it could shield her from the storm. Tears blurred her vision as she watched her mother endure the blows.
Every night, after the shouting and the crashing of furniture, Nina waited for the moment her father finally stumbled out, leaving silence in his wake.
She tiptoed from her corner, clutching her teddy bear like a lifeline, and ran to her mother's side. Kneeling, she gently touched her mother's arm, whispering, "It's okay, mummy… I'm here." Her mother, exhausted and bruised, tried to force a smile, brushing back Nina's hair and holding her close.
Together, they sat in the dim light, breathing through the ache that filled the room. Later, in the quiet of her bed she cried silently.
"Mummy I'm scared, mummy mummy, she wept bitterly.
"Only if I was strong enough to protect mummy, to lift her pain, to hold the world at bay."
It was the only power she had a small heart clinging to hope.