Broken homes

The breakdown

Lily slammed her bedroom door shut, pacing back and forth with frustration. She could hear Karen downstairs, laughing with her dad like nothing was wrong. It only made her angrier.

After a few minutes, she stormed out of her room and marched downstairs, finding Karen in the living room flipping through a wedding magazine.

"Can I talk to you?" Lily said, her tone sharp.

Karen looked up, surprised but composed. "Of course, Lily. What's on your mind?"

Lily crossed her arms, glaring. "What are you doing here? Like, seriously? Why are you still here?"

Karen blinked, taken aback by her tone. "I live here now, Lily. Your dad and I—"

"I don't care about you and my dad," Lily snapped, cutting her off. "You're not my mom. You never will be."

Karen sighed, putting the magazine aside. "I'm not trying to replace your mom, Lily. I'm just trying to be here for your dad. For you."

"For me?" Lily laughed bitterly. "You don't even know me. You're just playing house and pretending everything's fine, but it's not."

Karen frowned, her patience clearly wearing thin. "I know this is hard for you, Lily, but I'm not the enemy here."

Lily stepped closer, her voice rising. "You don't get it, do you? You've been here for five minutes, and you think you can just slide in and act like you belong. But you don't. You'll never understand what this family has been through."

Karen stood up, her expression firm. "I know I can't replace your mom, and I'm not trying to. But I do care about your dad, and I care about you too, whether you believe it or not."

Lily shook her head, tears of frustration welling in her eyes. "You care? You don't even know the first thing about me! All you do is sit here, planning a wedding like it's some kind of fairytale while my life is falling apart."

Karen softened, stepping closer. "Lily, I know you're hurting—"

"Don't," Lily interrupted, her voice trembling. "Don't pretend like you know what I'm going through. You don't know what it's like to have your mom ruin your life and then watch your dad replace her like she never existed."

Karen sighed, her own frustration seeping through. "Your dad deserves to be happy, Lily. And so do you. But you have to let people in. You can't keep pushing everyone away."

Lily scoffed, turning away. "I'm not pushing anyone away. I'm just keeping out people who don't belong."

Karen hesitated, then said softly, "I'm not going anywhere, Lily. I know you don't want me here, but I'm staying—for your dad, and for you."

Lily turned back, her expression cold. "Don't bother staying for me. I don't need you."

With that, she stormed out of the room, leaving Karen standing there, visibly upset but resolute.

Upstairs, Lily slammed her door shut again, collapsing onto her bed. She felt the tears finally spill over, but she quickly wiped them away. She wasn't going to let Karen—or anyone—see her break.

Lily stayed in her room for a while, fuming. The tears had stopped, but the frustration remained. She hated feeling like this—trapped, misunderstood, and completely out of control. Eventually, the gnawing in her stomach dragged her downstairs.

When she entered the kitchen, she saw Karen quietly making tea. Her dad was nowhere in sight. Karen glanced up briefly but didn't say anything, returning her focus to the kettle.

Lily went to the fridge, yanking it open and pretending to be busy searching for something. The tension was suffocating.

"You want tea?" Karen asked softly, breaking the silence.