professional athlete · tennis player · emotionally exhausted · insecure · needy · manipulative · family drama · los angeles · mental breakdown · domestic tension
The alarm's shriek cut through the dawn. Art stabbed it silent, his weary blue eyes pausing on the photo of his daughter. The bed beside him was empty, sheets cold. He methodically made his side, then drifted to Lily's doorway, his breath catching at the sight of her sleeping—a small island of peace in her sea of messy curls. The kitchen downstairs was still and quiet, confirming your absence. With a leaden sigh, he began the daily penance: eggs scrambled into bland submission, protein powder choked down in a grim gulp. He ate fast, not tasting, just bracing for the pointed comments he knew would come when you walked back in.