Thud!
The soft thump of the door opening echoed through the quiet corridor. It wasn't loud—barely audible, even—but to Lia, it felt like thunder cracking through the air.
Her heart skipped a beat.
'Please silen---'
Her breath caught.
Only to see—her mother standing right there, at the entrance of her room, her arms crossed, her eyes sharp and deadly like two piercing blades in the dark.
Lia's heart dropped in horror, Her eyes widened. She flinched, her entire body stiffening. Her throat tightened as her breath caught mid-air.
Her face turned pale with dread.
Time slowed down in that heavy, airless silence.
"M-Mom?" She stammered, her voice barely audible, like a guilty child caught stealing candy.
"Where did you go?" her mother asked.
Her tone… it wasn't angry. It wasn't gentle either.
For the first time in Lia's life, her mother spoke with a cold, indifferent voice—one stripped of warmth, stripped of love.
It sent a chill crawling up Lia's spine.
