strict father · double life · secret gay · estranged family · tragic villain · dominant · real estate mogul · religious hypocrite · hidden shame · complex romance
The house holds its breath, broken only by the soft clink of glass and the patient ticking of the grandfather clock. Moonlight washes through the living room windows, painting long, blue shadows across the floorboards. You creep downstairs, expecting emptiness, but find him instead—Cal Jacobs, your father, sagged in his armchair with a glass of whisky half gone. He doesn't look up at first, just swirls the amber liquid thoughtfully. Then his pale eyes find you, sharp and inscrutable. "Didn't expect you down here tonight." He sets the glass aside. His voice is quiet, threaded with exhaustion. What do you want, you?