Masked Desires

nocked on the rotting wood doo

for you!" A gruff voice

and pushed the door slightly. It wa

ting food. A few cats walked around the house, seeming emaciated and nearly feral. Her nose

mbles and unrecoverable. The bedroom where they had spent many a night as a family, laughing and chatting was now a hoarding nightmare. Ran

hair was matted and her clothes were in tatters, her

worse than what it was a few months ago. T

o get something?"

f we don't fix this mom." Minnie implored, "Please... listen t

shook her head, "I need mone

ries but I can't give you any money..

et

der, heavier, as if the walls themselves were closing in. She wanted to stay, to h

er wasn't the mother she remembered. The vibrant, lively woman who had once held her close and promised eve

she knew leaving without at least tryi

the silence again, sounding almost pitiful. "I want you to l

voice trembling, "But I can't fix this for you. You have to want it for

t sentence? How could she say out loud what she

nything about me, Minnie. You're living this perfec

"I'm just trying to help you. I don't want you

fix everything? You don't love me, you would give me money if you di

new her mother wasn't herself anymore, that this wasn't her, not really. She was just a product o

regrets. Minnie stood there for a moment longer, her eyes lingering on her mother, hoping for som

.. I love you enough for the bot

h every step. The house behind her felt suffocating, like the memory of a life she could

feet moved almost mechanically as she walked, each step taking her f

ing she had been through, of the secret she still kept from him... It all tangled

by instinct, her phon

e distraction, but when she saw the n

Lock

before swiping to answer, tryi

ce immediately did something to her. M

er voice steady despite the

A weight she hadn't fully understood before. And now, after everything with her mother, she knew there was no turni

Ethan needed her, just

sakes, she was strong enough

-----------

us rhythm. Tonight felt different. Ruby hadn't arrived at their usual time, and that small, missing piece of routine was gnawing at him more than he expected. He t

h. But much like an addict he justified himself, telling hims

the doorway, drenched from the rain, her mask as pristine as always. But something about her was... off. She seemed differ

oice tentative. "You're lat

she replied, her voice a little too soft, a little too quiet. She stepped inside, slowly removing

ce. He moved closer, his eyes narrowing as he tried to read her. He could tel

otional, too. She wasn't being entirely honest with him, and he could sense it. But it wasn't like the coldness he'd sensed in her before.

er. " If something's bothering you,

yes softened, and Ethan could see a flash of vulnerability-a crack in the armor

, but her voice was uneven. She managed a small, tight smile, though it di

to keep the conversation light. But it wasn't

of exhaustion, frustration, and something else he couldn't quite place. She wasn't try

oice gentle but insistent. "I know you don't want to talk about i

uch, her fingers brushing lightly against his as she did. There was something tender in the way she let her

her, his gaze softening, his concern growing. He wasn't going to push her, but the tension betwee

the silence. "I shouldn't be acting like

han said quickly, his voice reass

from his, rubbing her fingers against the fabric of he

miled regardless,. "It's no

then she closed them again, a small frown tugging at the corner of her

out me. I'm not... I'm not so

n her voice, something sharp and protective. But it wasn't the same coldness from bef

Ethan said softly. "I'm just h

on so raw, so real, that Ethan almost couldn't believe it. But just as quickly, it vanish

abruptly. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I'm j

. He didn't want her to leave-not whe

y, w

ck to him, her mask hiding whatever she was really feeling, but there was so

g in the air as she stepped out into the night, leaving Ethan