Lila stood at the doorstep of her childhood home, her fingers hovering over the doorbell. The air smelled of freshly cut grass and damp earth, remnants of last night's rain clinging to the small suburban street. A place she once found comforting now felt strangely foreign, like she didn't quite belong here anymore.
Still, she had nowhere else to go.
With a deep breath, she pressed the doorbell.
A few seconds later, the door swung open, and her mother's face lit up like the sun.
"Lila! Oh my God, what a surprise!"
Before she could get a word in, her mother pulled her into a warm, tight embrace, rocking her slightly as if she were a child again. Lila inhaled the familiar scent of lavender and vanilla—her mother's signature perfume.
