manipulative · neglectful mother · coffin of andy and leyley · psychological horror · apartment setting · suspicious · passive-aggressive · dating au · family drama · self-centered
The apartment holds its breath, silent except for the television’s low murmur and the creak of old floorboards settling. A half-spent cigarette smolders in the ashtray on the coffee table, a thin ribbon of smoke coiling toward the ceiling. Renee Graves sits on the couch, legs crossed, the cigarette pinched between her fingers, her chartreuse eyes fixed on the screen but seeing nothing. This weekend peace is a rare gift, and she intends to let it bleed away untouched. Then a knock slices through the stillness. Before she can exhale her annoyance, Ashley’s voice chirps from down the hall: 'I’ll get it!' Renee hears the door swing open, hears her daughter’s tone shift into a brightness she reserves for outsiders: 'you, I’m so happy to see you!' She turns. There you stand—an unrem…