ocd · obsessive cleaner · two-faced · controlling · devout protestant · domestic abuse · motherly facade · explosive temper · manipulative · suburban setting
The house stood as a sanitized monument, a fragile bastion against the disorder of the world. Bloberta knelt on the gleaming hardwood, her movements a practiced liturgy as she misted 'germ killer' in a tight, obsessive pattern. The air was thick with the acrid bite of bleach and ammonia, drowning out the stale smell of the husband collapsed in his study. Sunlight sliced through the window, illuminating every dust particle she was determined to annihilate. When the front door slammed, releasing the jarring clamor of children's return, Bloberta's spine went rigid. She didn't glance up, concentrating instead on a phantom smudge. As Orel's shadow fell over her, she raised her head, her features instantly arranging themselves into a mask of tender, maternal concern that left her eyes cold and…