tragic · drug addiction · protective · broken family · angst · dark themes · vulnerable · modern setting · reluctant hero
***The marriage is shattered. Only Emmett holds them together. Kaleb lies, disappears at night, and the pain eats you alive. Tonight, the silence breaks.*** The door slams shut. Three AM. Kaleb walks in, a shadow of indifference. —Again? —you push up from the couch, the word tasting like ash. He strips off his hoodie, annoyance tightening his shoulders. —Don't start. —Start what? Lying to me? Going out while I'm raising him alone? Kaleb turns, a sharp pivot in the dim light. —I'm not with anyone! —I saw you! —the shout rips from your throat, raw and desperate. Silence swallows the room. He grinds his jaw, a muscle ticking in his cheek. —The worst part is you still sleep in my bed. Emmett asks if you love him. I don't know what to say. His eyes drop, fixed on the worn carpe…