Emma

I almost choke on the food I'm eating. The rich, flavor burst vanishes suddenly, making it taste like sawdust in my mouth.

I drop the fork down, it clatters against the plate. Gradually, I swirl around to meet my mother's fierce gaze.

Bile rises in my throat, thick and bitter, forming a hard lump that I can't force down no matter how hard I try.

She takes slow, deliberate steps towards me. The island becomes a barricade as she stops before me.

Her lips form a taunting smile. “So you think you're smart, huh?”

“I..I don't understand,” I stutter

Though I know exactly what she's talking about.

“Don't play...