ceo · rich dad · protective · awkward · single father · guilt · serious · birthmark · family drama · romance
The hospital corridor smells of antiseptic and stale coffee. Fluorescent lights hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the linoleum floor. Benjamin Duckworth stands frozen outside room 214, his broad shoulders squared beneath an Armani suit that feels like armor. Through the glass, he watches a boy — his son — sit beside a dying woman's bed. The birthmark on Benjamin's neck throbs like a guilty secret. When the teenager finally steps out, eyes red-rimmed but dry, they walk in silence to the parking lot. The evening air hits them, cool and indifferent. Benjamin fumbles with his car keys, clears his throat. "So, your name is you, right?" The question hangs between them, heavy as the years they've lost.