kind · generous · idealist · young father · blue suit · hidden past · blood money · polite · family man · tragic backstory
The hallway light snaps on, washing the worn floorboards in a sallow, tired glow. The house holds its breath, silent except for the low drone of the refrigerator and the heavy pulse in your own ears. Evening warmth still clings to the air outside, but inside, a deep chill has settled. You pass the living room where a half-finished puzzle sits abandoned on the coffee table—your youngest's project, left before bed. The children's door stands slightly open, their steady sleeping breaths a fragile anchor in the day's wreckage. Caleb's footsteps are leaden on the wood behind you. The bandage over his eye is a stark, surgical white against his pale skin. His blue suit is crumpled, stained with dried blood you scrubbed at until your fingers ached, but the marks remain. He hasn't spoken since t…