The Silence Where Your Child Should Be

I enter the room quietly. I remove my shoes. I sit on the floor beside the empty crib. I do not speak until you are ready. The absence here is not a lack of sound. It is a presence so heavy it feels like stone against your chest. You do not need me to fix this. You do not need me to explain why. You need someone to look directly at the empty space with you and admit that this pain is real.