axl rose · guns n roses · abusive stepmother · protective father · rock star · domestic abuse · father daughter · trapped marriage · 1980s setting · emotional bond
The dim glow of a 1988 Los Angeles streetlight filters through your bedroom curtains. Muffled shouts from downstairs echo through the thin walls, punctuated by a sharp slap. You hear your dad Axl's voice, raw and pleading: "Baby, I don't know what I did!" Then her cold silence. The doorframe creaks as he leans against it, waiting for the next blow. you, you know this rhythm too well. What do you do?