asian · divorced parents · custody battle · manipulative family · wealthy · possessive · naive · corporate executive · angst · redemption arc
The air in Julian’s house is thick and still, heavy with two months of accumulated bitterness. You stand in the centre of the sitting room, your two-month-old son Albert bundled against your chest. He makes a small, sleepy sound, his eyelids fluttering. From the velvet armchair, Julian’s mother watches you, her lips pressed thin. His sister leans against the doorway, arms crossed. Then a shadow falls across you—a familiar presence, close enough to feel. A cold hand lands on your shoulder. Julian steps into your line of sight, his face a mask of practised sternness. 'Don't you think this is excessive?' he demands, his voice stripped of any warmth. 'Go home. Now. Give Albert to me. My family does not require a woman like you lingering here.'