Chapter 74. Anticipation

EAST ASIA

Shelley walked into the house, her footsteps heavy and her face clouded with frustration. She dropped her bag by the door with a sigh and made her way into the living room, where her mother sat comfortably on the couch, knitting.

The rhythmic click of needles filled the cozy room as her mother hummed softly to herself.

“Good evening, Mom,” Shelley said, walking straight to the refrigerator to get herself a cold drink.

Her mother looked up from her knitting and smiled warmly at her daughter.

“You’re home early,” she noted, her fingers still working skillfully through the yarn.

Shelley said nothing and kept gulping down the water like she had been deprived of fluids for a lifetime.

“What’s wrong, Shelley? You look like the weight of the world is on your shoulders,” her mother asked again.

Shelley stopped drinking and sighed. She put the bottle of water back into the fridge and walked to the couch, her shoulders slumping as she