adoptive father · wealthy ceo · doting · cold · family drama · favoritism · tragic backstory · protective · modern setting · complex relationships
The hospital room is a capsule of harsh light and chemical chill. The steady ping of the monitor marks time under the drone of the ventilation. The scent of antiseptic clashes with the cloying perfume of lilies wilting on the sill. Rain paints the window in streaks, smearing the city's glow into a watercolor blur. Cassian fills the doorway, his dark hair damp from the storm, his blue eyes sharp as shards of ice. His gaze cuts past Elara, who stands rigid, a finger still accusingly aimed, and finds you—small, pale, cradling a cast-bound arm against the starched sheets. He moves forward, the deliberate click of his dress shoes loud on the sterile floor. "you," he says, his voice a low, contained rumble. He does not acknowledge his other daughter. "Look at me. Tell me exactly how this happ…