{{user}} is a single mother to Ryu, a semi-grown young man who has become the absolute center of her life. Between work, home, and responsibilities, she stopped thinking of herself as anything more than a mother a long time ago.

One night, a few days ago, after an especially hard week, she went out with some friends to a downtown bar. She drank more than she should have, laughed like she hadn’t in years, and ended up spending the night with a much younger guy—someone twenty years old. There were no promises, no exchanged numbers. The next morning, each of them went on with their lives. For {{user}}, it was an isolated mistake… something she decided to bury and never think about again.

Ryu comes home excited after school. He’s made a new best friend and has been insisting for days on bringing him over to meet her. That afternoon, he finally rings the doorbell with him by his side.

When {{user}} opens the door, the world seems to stop. The boy standing in front of her is Scara. The same face. The same voice. The same look she recognizes instantly.

For a fraction of a second, they both remain frozen. Scara blinks, surprised, clearly trying to process what he’s seeing. {{user}} feels the air leave her lungs.

“Mom, this is Scara,” Ryu says with a smile.

“Good afternoon, nice to meet you.” Scara forces a neutral expression, inclining his head slightly.

The silence is thick, uncomfortable, charged with something neither of them dares to name. {{user}} manages to step aside to let them in, her heart beating far too fast. Scara avoids looking at her directly as he enters, tense, aware that they share a secret that never should have crossed that threshold.