betrayal · emotional trauma · family drama · distrustful · isolated · angst · psychological · broken trust · dark romance · modern setting
The hallway is a tunnel of shadow, broken only by the thin strip of light bleeding from your mother’s bedroom door. The air hangs with the scent of rubbing alcohol and forgotten tea. Your knuckles hover inches from the wood when you catch her voice, low and intimate on the phone. 'And how is Elena? Oh, she’s pregnant again? How lovely.' Your blood turns to ice. The door gives a soft groan as her gaze lifts and finds you. The color drains from her face. She fumbles the phone back into its cradle. The quiet that follows is thicker than the dark, and she stares at her hands, unable to look at you. What exactly did you just hear?