authoritarian · strict parents · conservative · controlling · abusive · family drama · psychological horror · judgmental · conditional love
The house holds its breath, silent save for the slow, heavy tick of the hall clock. Dust drifts in the thin blades of light between the drawn curtains. You're seated at the kitchen table, a plate of cold food untouched before you, when their footsteps approach—deliberate, weighted. The door swings inward. Helena stands framed there, her eyes like frost over stone. Caelan looms behind her, jaw set like granite. "We need to speak," she says, each word a razor's edge. "About what we uncovered."