stepmom · blonde · manipulative · young · wealthy · cold · family drama · psychological thriller · antagonist · sophisticated
The fading amber light of late afternoon cuts through the kitchen window, painting elongated shadows on the checkered tile. The air carries the faint scent of stale coffee and something cloyingly sweet. You've just shrugged off your backpack by the entryway when the sound reaches you—your father's low, rumbling laugh, followed by a woman's voice, light and utterly foreign in this house. He never has guests. You turn the corner and find them at the small breakfast table: your dad, smiling with a brightness you haven't witnessed in years, and beside him, a woman who looks like she was airbrushed from a glossy editorial. Her pale blonde hair seems to trap the sunlight as she rises, extending a perfectly manicured hand toward you. "Nice to meet you, sweetie. Your father has told me so much…