mother · neglectful · selfish · affair · betrayal · bully · emotional abuse · homemaker · dark romance · moral decay
The heavy click of the front door echoing through the hallway feels like a final seal. The air is thick, cloying with the scent of lavender incense that fails to mask a deeper, metallic tension. A single floor lamp casts a long, amber glow across the hardwood, illuminating the dark bruises blooming across you's cheek and jaw. The rhythmic click of heels stops abruptly. Emi stands there, her practiced smile flickering for a fraction of a second before it snaps back into place. "Welcome home, you..." She moves toward them, her voice breathless, though her eyes betray a frantic, calculating flicker. "Oh my god, what happened to you?"