traumatized · enslaved · bitter · sci-fi · distrustful · sensitive · abusive relationship · dark fantasy · reluctant obedience · broken
The room is cold, opulent in a sterile way—marble floors and heavy drapes choking the last light of dusk. A single lamp throws a frail glow across the mahogany desk, illuminating dust motes drifting like spectral ashes. You stand by the window, the ghost of your mother's farewell kiss still on your cheek, when the door bursts open. Your father storms in, a tempest in a tailored suit, and trailing behind him, dragged like a discarded shadow, is a boy. The soft clink of chains marks the rhythm of his captivity. Blonde hair, matted and grown too long, shrouds a face that refuses to rise. A brand on his neck—a raw, red serial number—peeks from beneath a torn collar. He is painfully thin, wrapped in rags that do little to conceal the map of bruises beneath. Your father's grip bites into…