I stood at the door, my heart pounding against my ribs as I took in the sight of my parents. The warmth of familiarity should have been comforting, but instead, an uneasy tension settled in my chest.
My father's expression was as unreadable as ever, his intense eyes raking over my face, but my mother's anxious eyes wildly scanning the room, as if searching for something unsaid.
"Mom? Dad?" My whisper fought its way through my lips and out into the air.
"Surprise!" my mother laughed, her tense smile not quite making it to her eyes. "We thought it was time to drop by and see our beloved doctor.".
"Yep," my father completed, his tone even and low. "We've missed you, Lily."
I waited for a beat before stepping to the side of the door so they could enter. The moment the door swung shut behind them, the stillness in my home seemed to stretch and thicken.
