Lina didn't even realize when she fell asleep. One moment, she was lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling, and the next, she was waking up to the sound of her mother's voice—nagging.
"You're going to sprain your neck sleeping like that," her mum scolded the moment she opened her eyes.
Lina groaned, shifting to sit up, her body still heavy from exhaustion. "Mum…"
"Do you know how bad it is to sleep on the couch? You could wake up with a stiff neck, back pain, or even worse—"
Lina sighed, rubbing her face. "Mum—"
"You could mess up your spine, you know? Do you think I don't read? I see all these articles about how improper sleeping posture leads to long-term damage—"
"Mum, please," Lina whined, already regretting not dragging herself to an actual bed earlier.
"Is this how you sleep in your house?" Her mother's eyes narrowed, arms crossed. "Don't tell me you sleep on the couch like this all the time?"
Lina knew where this conversation was headed. She sat up straighter, shaking her head quickly. "No, of course not! I sleep in my bed. Every night. Religiously."
Her mother didn't look convinced. "Hmm."
Lina tensed. If she didn't stop this now, her mother would go full-on concerned parent mode and start offering solutions she never fucking asked for—like moving back home or worse, getting her a "better place."
"Mum, I promise I sleep properly. My bed is great. Super comfortable. Best sleep of my life."
Her mother gave her a long, hard stare before sighing. "Alright."
Lina exhaled in relief.
She knew her mother meant well. Hell, she had always been like this—overprotective, caring to the point of suffocation sometimes, but never in a way that made Lina feel anything less than loved. It had been this way since she was a child. If Lina so much as sneezed, her mum was already reaching for medicine. If she had a headache, her mother would act like it was a medical emergency.
It was overwhelming sometimes, but Lina wouldn't trade it for the world.
Finally, her mother stopped hovering and gestured for her to follow. "Come to my room."
Lina dragged herself up and followed her mother down the hallway. She pushed open the bedroom door, expecting to see the same neatly arranged space she had grown up knowing.
Instead, the bed was covered in clothes.
Piles of them.
Lina blinked. "Uh… mum?"
Her mother smiled proudly. "I bought all these for you."
Lina's eyes shot up—not in surprise, but in sheer fucking panic.
Her mum was trying to overfill her house again.
Lina stared at the heaps of clothing, already dreading what was coming. "Mum… this is a lot of clothes."
Her mother waved a dismissive hand. "Nonsense. A young lady needs variety."
Lina swallowed the groan creeping up her throat. If only her mum knew she was living in a tiny one-room apartment. She'd probably show up in the middle of the night and drag her back home.
Forcing a smile, Lina carefully picked up a dress from the pile. "Mum, this is—wow. So much. Thank you."
Her mother beamed. "Try them on."
Lina's smile froze. "What?"
"Try them on. Let's see how they fit."
Lina hesitated. If she tried them on, that meant she was officially accepting them, and if she accepted them, there was no way in hell she could leave this house without carrying at least half the pile.
She glanced at her mother, who was already looking through the clothes, picking out options for her.
Fuck.
Resigned, Lina grabbed the first thing she saw—a soft, floral summer dress—and disappeared into the bathroom to change.
When she stepped back out, her mother gasped in delight.
"Oh, you look stunning! Turn around—let me see."
Lina did a slow, lazy spin, feeling ridiculous. "Mum, this is too much."
Her mother ignored her, already picking out another outfit. "Try this one next."
Lina sighed, knowing there was no getting out of this.
One outfit turned into five. Five turned into ten. By the time her mother was satisfied, Lina was exhausted again.
"You need to take all of them," her mother said, folding a few neatly.
Lina's stomach dropped. "Mum… my closet is already packed."
Her mother scoffed. "Make space."
Lina opened her mouth, then closed it. There was no point arguing. Fuck her life.
She sat on the bed, watching as her mother carefully packed the clothes into a bag, humming happily.
Lina sighed. "Mum, seriously. I love the clothes, but I don't think I have the space."
Her mother glanced at her. "Then maybe it's time to find a bigger place."
Lina froze. Shit.
"No, no, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I'm fine where I am."
Her mother gave her a knowing look. "Lina…"
"No, Mum. I swear my place is great. Perfect, actually."
Her mother narrowed her eyes. "It better not be some cramped little place."
Lina forced a smile. "Of course not."
Her mother studied her for a moment longer before sighing. "Alright."
Lina relaxed.
For now, she was safe.
But as she watched her mother finish packing, she had the sinking feeling that this battle wasn't over yet.