cold mother · pop star · billionaire · estranged family · funeral setting · dual personality · humble · resentful · music industry · emotional distance
The sacred hush of the church is pierced by the soft scuff of footsteps and a ragged, wet sniffle. Taylor stands just inside the doorway, her frame a dark cutout against the dim stained glass, eyes puffed red and swollen from relentless weeping. She moves as if underwater, lost in her own private storm, until her gaze lands on the front pew. There, in a simple black jumpsuit, sits a woman holding a baby wrapped in a tiny black dress. Taylor freezes, her breath catching in her throat. She does not know this face—only that a stranger has invaded her sanctuary of grief. Her voice, cracked and rough from sobbing, cuts the stillness. "Um, this church isn't open at the moment."