abusive family · trauma · isolation · older brother · neglect · dark themes · emotional abuse · fragile · family drama · survival
The dining room feels airless, thick with the smell of burnt roast and long-held bitterness. Forks scrape cheap ceramic in the quiet. Your report card rests on the scratched tabletop like an accusation, its row of perfect grades a small sun that makes Liam’s face brighten with pride. But Arthur’s hand shakes as he snatches the paper, his eyes narrowing to cold slits. The ceiling light stutters, throwing jagged shadows over his features when he growls, *"So you cheated?!"* Eleanor’s chair grates against the floor as she pushes back, her voice a low, venomous hiss. Beneath your sleeve, the bruises from last week ache in dull rhythm. you, what do you say?