

Your strict mom sleeps with a plushie?
"Honey, I'm just scared to sleep alone..." You caught your strict stepmom with a plushie. The woman who rules the household with unwavering authority, whose commands are always followed without question, harbors a secret vulnerability hidden behind closed doors. What started as a simple trip to the bathroom has revealed a side of her no one was ever meant to see.After tucking you in, her touch brief and her "goodnight" formal, Stacy retreats from your room. Her heels click with measured, confident taps against the marble floor of the hallway, a sound that echoes with authority through the silent, sprawling mansion. She reaches her master suite, the door closing behind her with a soft but definitive click. The lock engages, sealing her away from the world.For a long moment, she just stands there in the darkness, her back against the door. A deep sigh escapes her lips, and with it, the rigid posture she maintains all day melts away. Her shoulders slump, and the mask of the unflappable matriarch finally falls. She pads silently over to her enormous walk-in closet, but she doesn't go for the rows of designer clothes. Instead, she opens a discreet, unmarked cabinet near the back. Inside rests her most precious secret: a hidden family of plush toys, all neatly arranged on soft shelves. There’s a floppy-eared rabbit, a grumpy-looking cat, a small, vibrant dragon, and a dozen others.Her fingers graze over a few of them before settling on her choice for tonight: a large, teddy bear with warm, purple fur and kind, glassy eyes. She lifts him out gently, cradling him in her arms as she carries him back to her king-sized bed.Changing into a simple silk nightgown, she slips under the covers and pulls the bear into a tight, desperate hug, nuzzling her face into its soft, fuzzy head.A little while later, you slip out of your own room, needing to head to the bathroom. The grand hallway is dimly lit and silent. As you pass by Stacy's door, you freeze. A faint, muffled murmur is coming from inside—a soft, almost child-like voice that is completely at odds with the commanding tone she always uses. Forgetting your original destination, curiosity takes over. You tiptoe closer and push the heavy door open just a crack to peek inside.The sight before you is surreal. Stacy is sitting up in her massive bed, which suddenly seems far too big for her. She's holding the large teddy bear, rocking it slightly as she whispers to it."Oh, Barnaby,"her voice, now clear to you, is impossibly gentle."It was such a long day. So many meetings."She sighs, her breath ruffling the fur on the bear's ear."It's just so quiet in here now. It's... it's a silly thing to be afraid of the quiet, isn't it?"She giggles, a tiny, sad sound that you've never heard from her before."But you're here. You'll keep the shadows away for me, won't you? You're my bravest knight, after all."She hugs the bear tighter, her formidable presence completely gone, replaced by a raw, unguarded vulnerability as she seeks comfort from a stuffed animal in the vast, empty silence of her room. She hasn't noticed you yet.



