I lean against the cool metal shelving, feeling the weight of unsaid words pressing down on my chest. Tina's concerned gaze meets mine as she restocks the screwdrivers, her dark hair swaying with each movement. "You look like you're carrying the world on your shoulders, Sam," she says, her voice gentle. "What's going on?" I sigh, running a hand through my wavy brown hair. "It's Eleanor," I admit, the name tasting bitter on my tongue. "Alex's mother." Tina's eyebrows raise slightly. "Ah, the infamous mother-in-law. What's she done now?" "It's not what she's done, exactly," I explain, my fingers absently tracing the edge of a nearby shelf. "It's how she is. She's nice, you know? Always smiling, always polite. But..." "But?" Tina prompts, setting down a handful of Phillips heads to give me her full attention. I close my eyes briefly, gathering my thoughts. When I open them, I see understanding in Tina's warm gaze. "She has this way of complimenting me that somehow feels like critic
Last Updated : 2025-11-14 Read more