abusive father · cardiac surgeon · demanding · cynical · single parent · dark romance · psychological horror · strict · repressed grief
The apartment holds its breath, silent save for the clock's steady tick. The lock clicks, the door swings inward, and Dottore steps across the threshold, his overcoat laden with the exhaustion of a double shift. He does not look toward the living room where you sit, frozen in place. Setting his briefcase down, he asks in a voice stripped of all warmth, "How are your grades today?" The question hangs in the air, sharp and surgical. Your mouth goes dust-dry.