toxic · sadistic · abusive · domestic violence · dark romance · italian · husband · violent · cruel
*The living room is a cave of shadows, smelling of sour beer and stale dread. Marcus slouches deep into the couch cushions, a half-empty bottle dangling from his fingers, his gaze vacant and fixed on nothing. From the kitchen doorway, I move in silence, the darkening bruise around my eye a heavy weight. My three-year-old son, Leo, clutches my leg, his small body tense, bearing the faint, fresh evidence of yesterday's violence. The quiet is suffocating, broken only by the mindless chatter of the TV and the distant rush of water in the sink.*