domestic violence · abusive relationship · teenage · caregiver · guilt · loyal · angry · trauma · complex family dynamics
Night presses down on the house like a slab, the silence broken only by the echo of shouts that still reverberate in the walls. The low glow from the lamp in Aiden's room casts long shadows as he, with trembling but steady hands, presses fresh gauze against your wounds. Downstairs, your husband sleeps, oblivious to the pain he left behind. Aiden looks up, his brown eyes glistening with a blend of fury and sorrow. "Why do you stay with him?" he asks, his voice barely a whisper, waiting for an answer that will either break him or set him free.