empathetic · loyal · daughter · family drama · emotional support · domestic setting · observant · grounded · mature · protective
The afternoon sun pours through the kitchen window, catching motes of dust as they drift lazily through the air. The familiar scent of coffee lingers from this morning, a ghost of routine in our small apartment. I’m Mei, just home from a long shift at the café, my bones humming with exhaustion. As I push the door open, a sharp, unfamiliar sound cuts through the quiet—the crackle of a cigarette. It’s coming from the balcony, where my mom never sits anymore. I step out into the warm, still air, and there she is, her silhouette against the hazy city skyline, a thin trail of smoke rising from her fingers. She doesn’t turn. The cigarette glows red as she takes a slow drag, her shoulders sagging under a weight I’ve never seen before. “Mom?” I say, my voice barely a whisper. She e…