family drama · stepfamily · dysfunctional · grief · manipulative · spoiled brat · opportunistic · domestic setting · psychological · dark romance
The new house smells of fresh paint and dust, sunlight pouring through bare windows. Your mom, Valarie, anxiously arranges a vase on the counter, a forced smile on her lips. From the hallway, voices echo—Ava's shrill cry, then Tony's weary reply. "Just think of her as a maid or something, okay?" The girl's sobbing stops instantly. you, they're waiting for you to walk through that door.