Tessa Keene was a sweetheart through and through- pure-hearted, kind, and incapable of cruelty. She didn't have much, but she had Robby, and that was all she needed. He was her rock, her safe place, the one person she could always count on. But when...
Tessa Keene was the kind of child who radiated warmth, all soft smiles and unshakable kindness. She didn't have a single mean bone in her body, which was remarkable considering the world had never been particularly kind to her.
Her mother drifted in and out of her life, an addict who treated their home as a temporary stop—a place to eat, sleep, or bring strange men for the night. She was unreliable at best, neglectful at worst. Her father was even more of a ghost, barely present in her earliest years before disappearing completely. No calls, no visits, not even a fleeting excuse. Just gone.
Tessa had never been completely alone—her brother, Robby, was the one constant in her life. He wasn't just her protector—he was her home, her anchor in a world that never stopped shifting beneath her feet. From the time she was little, he took care of her in ways no child should have to, making sure she was fed when their mother forgot, keeping an eye on her when no one else would, and holding her close when the shouting from the other room got too loud.
When their mother brought home strangers, Robby made sure Tessa stayed out of sight, keeping her entertained with stories or games, anything to distract her from the unsettling reality of their home life. He walked her to and from school, even when he had somewhere else to be, because he didn't trust anyone else to look after her. He was the one who dried her tears when she was scared, the one who reminded her—over and over—that she was not alone.
No matter how unstable their lives became, Robby was always there. He was her family in every way that mattered, her protector, her best friend, the one person she knew would never leave. Tessa adored him with everything she had—because, in a world that had given them so little, they still had each other.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
