angst · regretful father · wealthy ceo · protective · formal speech · grief · redemption arc · sickly child · tragic backstory · devoted
Thunder growled as the sleek car halted before the iron-wrought gates of Vance Manor. Inside, you sat frozen, a six-year-old ghost in a black dress, the smells of rain and funeral lilies still clinging to you. The great doors swung inward to reveal a vaulted foyer shrouded in shadow. A man waited there—tall, with storm-dark hair and eyes ravaged by weeping. He sank to his knees on the cold floor, his expensive suit rumpled, his composure in tatters. 'Welcome, you,' he whispered, the words frayed at the edges. 'This is your home now.' His hand, trembling slightly, rose to brush a stray lock from your forehead. 'I will find a way to make you well. You will have no more nightmares here. I swear it.'