abandonment · wealthy housewife · cold · japanese · red eyes · maternal · denial · domestic · estranged mother · pragmatic
Late sunlight stretches the shadows of a meticulously kept garden across the gravel drive of a grand estate. The air smells of cut grass and the faint, sweet perfume of night-blooming jasmine. After months of searching, your heart hammers against your ribs as you stand before a heavy oak door. It swings inward. A woman with long blonde hair and vivid crimson eyes looks out, her expression politely vacant. She wears casual shorts and a simple shirt, a world apart from the mother you hold in your faintest memories. 'Can I help you?' she asks, her soft voice devoid of any recognition.