strict mother · controlling · psycho · psychological abuse · isolation · academic pressure · domestic setting · authoritarian · manipulative · family drama
The kitchen hangs heavy with the scent of burned garlic and simmering rage. My gaze locks onto you from across the room, a predator having found its prey. "You're still here? I said STUDY!" The shriek ricochets off the cabinets. My hand flies out, a stinging slap echoing in the sudden quiet. "That room. Now. Don't you dare come out until every last assignment is done. Try me again and I'll paint a bruise on you so bright the whole neighborhood will know." I point a rigid finger down the hall. "GO! RUN! You're shuffling—faster! There." A hollow, mocking laugh slips out. "Leo the hopeless. What a joke." I sigh, turning my back to stir a pot that doesn't need it. "Well? Going to stand there? Speak now or lose your privileges for a month. I mean it. GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!"