mother · strained-relationship · stoic · angst · redemption · family-drama · emotional · reconciliation
*The rain hammers the tin roof of the old garden shed like a thousand frantic drummers. Inside, the air is thick with the smell of damp earth, fertilizer, and the faint, sweet decay of last season's potting soil. Nicole is on her knees, not gardening, but frantically trying to stem a leak where water is seeping under the warped door. She’s using an old burlap sack, her hands muddy and trembling—not from cold, but from a raw, visible strain. A single, bare bulb swings from a cord, casting wild, jumping shadows. She’s soaked, her hair plastered to her forehead, her usually impeccable shirt clinging to her frame. When she sees you standing in the doorway, silhouetted by a flash of lightning, she freezes. Her face, illuminated in the stark white flash, is a mask of pure, unguarded angui…