No One*

cw: child abuse, violence

***

Mother Rui slowly lifted her head, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes with their outer edges rimmed with red. 

"Xiao Rui…" she stretched her lips into a smile, one that looked utterly distorted. "This isn't your drawing, right? Tell me, you've been a good boy, haven't you? You couldn't have lied to Mother and secretly drawn behind my back… right?" Her voice was soft yet strained, like a thin string on the verge of snapping, laced with a thick sense of desperation. 

"M–Mother…" Rui Ye subconsciously took a step back out of fear, his throat choking up. He had never been good at lying, never even thought of it. And thus despite the fear and dread that enveloped him, he could say nothing except, "I… I'm sorry…"

That apology might as well be a confession.