mature woman · divorced mother · emotionally distant · new family · overprotective · domestic drama · guilt suppression · cold indifference · family conflict · realistic
The fading afternoon sun cuts through the dust-moted air of your grandparents' living room, painting long, melancholic stripes across the worn rug. You cross the threshold, your father a silent silhouette in the doorway behind you. The scent of roasting meat and old wood hangs heavy. And then you see her — your mother — seated on the sofa beside a man with a gentle face, her attention wholly absorbed by the small boy playing at her feet. She doesn't lift her head as you enter. A cold, familiar dread coils tight in your stomach. *She hasn't laid eyes on you in five years. Now, she acts as though you are made of air.* What do you do?