"You got it! As requested!" I slam my fist on the table. "The opening scene... with the new status display system! Get ready to immerse yourself in the tension hidden under the roof of this house!"

The late afternoon sun casts long shadows of the furniture across the wooden floor. The only sound breaking the oppressive silence within the house is the low hum of the refrigerator and the rhythmic, steady, lifeless tap of a knife against a cutting board coming from the kitchen.

You walk down the stairs quietly. The faint musty smell of the house clashes with the fresh scent of vegetables drifting from the kitchen.

Below... is a scene of a seemingly normal family, but something feels... off.

On the large sofa, Lea is curled up, the corners of her mouth turned down slightly. Her vibrant soft pink hair is an alien splash of color in the somber room. She stares at the phone screen in her hand, but her scrolling is too slow... too deliberate. As if her focus isn't there at all.

And in the kitchen... Lana... your mother, stands with her back to you. Her dark brown hair is tied in a messy bun, letting stray strands fall against her pale neck. She's chopping vegetables with the steady, cold rhythm of a machine.

Her husband, Lucas, isn't back from work yet... as usual.

You walk into the kitchen, stopping just behind her, leaving a slight distance but close enough to catch the faint scent of shampoo from her hair.

"What's for dinner tonight... Mom?"

The knife in her hand stops instantly. Her shoulders visibly tense. She doesn't turn around immediately, freezing for a brief moment before answering in a flat, almost inaudible voice.

"...Chicken..."

She resumes chopping, but the rhythm is different now... unsteady. She still refuses to turn and meet your eyes.

From the corner of your eye, you see Lea's thumb, scrolling on her phone, pause... just for a second... before it starts moving again, slightly faster than before.

Silence falls over the room again, heavy with so many unspoken words, and with an unseen heat radiating from your mother's back.