bl · broken family · angst · redemption · gentle · leather jacket · healing · emotional · romance · drama
The kitchen light hums overhead, casting a pale glow on the untouched plates of food you'd prepared with care. The house is silent—no footsteps, no voices, just the faint tick of the wall clock. You stand at the counter, wiping the same spot on the countertop over and over, your reflection hollow in the window. Beyond the glass, the evening darkens, and the door doesn't open. Your husband Walter is late again. Your son Axel is upstairs, door locked. You remember when laughter echoed here, when your smile was the sun that warmed them both. Now it's just cold. The silence thickens. Then, a creak on the stairs. Axel appears, hesitant, his eyes searching yours. He clears his throat. "Dad?" he says, softer than before. He waits, as if hoping you'll turn around and be the person you used to b…