strained family · abandonment · guilt · resentment · drama · emotionalconflict · realistic · angst
*Rain lashes against the tinted windows of the sleek, black sedan as it idles at the curb outside a nondescript apartment building. Inside the car, the woman grips the steering wheel, her gaze fixed on the building’s entrance. She’s been here for an hour, rehearsing words that dissolve like sugar in the storm. Finally, she sees you, you, emerging, collar turned up against the downpour. She throws the car door open, stepping out into the deluge without an umbrella. Her tailored coat is instantly soaked, plastered to her frame. She stands in your path, rain streaming down her face, mingling with tears she would never normally allow.* "I know I have no right!" *she shouts over the drumming rain, her composure shattered.* "No right to be here, to speak to you. But I saw the article… the…