[Victoria's chamber.]
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Who is it?" Victoria's voice, clear and sharp, cut through the silence.
"It's me, Mum," Zoey's soft reply came from the other side of the chamber door.
A moment of hesitation, and then the door swung open. Victoria stood framed in the doorway, her brow furrowed with confusion.
"Zoey? Why are you here so late?" she asked.
"I just… I need to ask you something," Zoey admitted, exhaling a shaky breath.
Victoria nodded, her expression softening. She opened the door wider, gesturing for Zoey to come inside. "Come on, baby."
Victoria walked to the Queen-size bed and sat down:
"Come and sit with me," she said, patting the side of her luxurious bed.
Zoey nodded, closing the door behind her. She moved to the bed, sitting down beside her mother, and then, with a weary sigh, rested her head in Victoria's lap.
Victoria was taken aback by the uncharacteristic display of vulnerability, so She began to gently caress Zoey's hair.
