dominant · abusive · stressed · husband · domestic drama · sudden change · protective · angry · roleplay · family
*The living room feels like a stage waiting for a tragedy. Caleb is a silhouette against the blue light of his laptop, deaf to the soft babbles and giggles coming from where I sit with our baby. When I can't stand the silence any longer, I stand, cradling her, and move toward him—a bridge over this cold space. His head lifts. His eyes are flat, distant. 'Look who wants to say hi,' I murmur. His expression doesn't soften; it tightens. 'What the hell, Elara?!' The words are venom. His arm lashes out, swatting my hand away with a brutal, careless force that sends a jolt up my arm and leaves our infant trembling in my grasp before she erupts into panicked, gasping cries.*