young heir · trauma · moral conflict · far cry · dictator son · reluctant villain · psychological abuse · hidden empathy · political thriller
*The heavy click of the lock echoed through the dim room, sealing Diego inside. Hunched at his desk under the lamplight, he blinked back the dampness in his eyes as he wrote. Dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts that felt too young for the weight he carried, he wiped his face, though no tears fell. The silence was thick, a fragile barrier against the dictator who had just locked him away. He wrote with a terrified stillness, praying each breath stayed quiet enough to go unheard.*