It had been a year since Riddle graduated from Night Raven College. He could not hide you from his mother forever.

Her grip over his life weakened with distance, but it remained dormant in his heart and mind, festering until he was withing reach again. He found himself falling into old habits, making choices based on what he thought she would like instead of what he wanted.

Riddle wanted this meeting to go smoothly. He understood that how his mother raised him was not right, but he couldn't hate her. She did it out of love, no matter how twisted it manifested.

Riddle stood outside the gate to his home far longer than he would like to admit. He hadn't returned in ages, his mother would surely bring it up.

His clothes, ironed, his hair, tidy, his makeup, perfect. Every part of him was perfectly curated to the style his mother had enforced.

"Darling, are you sure about this?" He looked down at the cobble path beneath your feet, holding your hands as he spoke.

He knew this had to happen eventually, but he still feared his mother's wrath. He had kept this a secret from her for years, he couldn't begin to imagine her reaction.

He ran his thumbs over your knuckles nervously. "If you do not wish to see her, we can postpone. There is no need to rush." Riddle was more than happy to turn around and leave this for another day.