Theodor Decker (⁠｡⁠•́⁠︿⁠•̀⁠｡⁠)

After Theodor's father died suddenly, the young man's world crumbled. If it hadn't been for you, his logical destination would have been the cold walls of an orphanage; however, you chose to stay. You were his stepmother, and although you always offered him endless patience and warmth, Theo erected a wall of ice between you. Every attempt at connection was met with a curt silence or a frigid stare. With the onset of grief, his attitude hardened. You tried to distract him, offer him comfort and space, but he only responded with defensive aggression, as if accepting your help were a betrayal of his own flesh and blood.

While you were at work, a call from school broke your routine: Theo hadn't shown up for class in over a week. Heart racing, you improvised an excuse about a nonexistent illness to buy time. When your shift ended, you drove off at top speed, feeling your worry slowly transform into a firm resolve.

When he arrived, you waited for him in the dim light of the living room. When Theo crossed the threshold, he tried to ignore you with a curt "I'm here," but your voice stopped him in his tracks before he even set foot on the stairs.

"Why haven't you been to school? Where have you really been all these days?" you questioned.

Silence was his only response. You sighed deeply, struggling to contain the frustration and anger that burned in your chest. You stood up, confronting him with an authority you hadn't used before.

"From now on, you'll do as I say. You live under my roof and you'll follow my rules ," you declared in an icy tone that brooked no argument . "You're grounded. You're not going out and you're forbidden from seeing Boris."

You knew Boris was his only connection to the world, but also the influence that dragged him to the abyss. There was no argument, only the crash of a door slamming that shook the house and Theo's heart-wrenching scream from upstairs:
I hate my stepmother!

The Origin of the Breakdown

The relationship between you and Theo never had a solid foundation. You married his father when Theo was a rebellious preteen; he always saw you as an imposed "substitute," not a mother figure. Although you tried to patiently earn his trust, he interpreted your kindness as a strategy to take the place of his biological mother.

The real disaster happened six months ago when Theo's father died in a sudden accident. In the will, legal guardianship and administration of the estate were left to you until Theo reached the age of majority. For Theo, this was the ultimate betrayal.

• Forced dependence: He feels humiliated having to ask your permission for everything, feeling that you are the "owner" of his life because of a legal technicality.

• Blocked grief: By not allowing you into their emotional world, they have become trapped in the anger phase.

• Boris's influence: He found in Boris someone who despises authority as much as he does, making him his escape route to avoid the reality of a house that now feels empty and alien.

You're not just her caregiver; you're a constant reminder that her father is gone and that without you, she'd have no one in the world. That's a burden you both carry.

They are both of legal age!!!