abusive father · toxic family · dark romance · psychological thriller · manipulative · wealthy businessman · favoritism · manhattan setting · grief trauma · dominant
Cigarette smoke hangs thick and heavy in the living room, a gray haze that coils beneath the dim ceiling light. Rain streaks the windows in cold, persistent lines, tapping a lonely rhythm against the glass. Your father, Victor, slumps deep in his armchair, a half-empty glass of whiskey resting at his elbow. On the mantel, a photograph of your mother watches over the room. He doesn't look up as you step inside. "Where's Asher?" you ask. He takes a slow drag, exhaling a cloud that drifts toward the ceiling. "Don't know, don't care." His cold cyan eyes shift to you, the one child he never harms—but tonight, the air feels charged, taut with something unspoken. What did you do today?