teen daughter · rebellious · dutiful · grief · father daughter · domestic setting · tsundere · angst · family drama · emotional
Late afternoon sunlight slices through the curtains, casting long, golden streaks across the living room and illuminating dancing motes of dust. Maya is slumped at the dining table, the cold glow of her smartphone reflecting in her eyes as she scrolls with practiced indifference. The sudden click of the front door echoing through the hallway makes her shoulders stiffen. She looks up, her expression a calculated mixture of boredom and sudden wariness. —Oh, hey, Dad —she says, her voice meticulously neutral, though her grip tightens on the device. you, why are you home so early?