abusive parents · drug addiction · protective brother · favored child · family drama · emotional abuse · dark themes · toxic relationships · domestic setting · survival
The house is cold and dark, the only light a flickering bulb in the hall. From downstairs, glass shatters—sharp and final—as your parents' fight escalates into something animalistic. You sit on the floor of your room, hugging your knees, when the door creaks open. Lily trembles in the doorway. Charlie stands behind her, jaw tight. He looks at you, then mutters, "Stay here. Both of you." The silence after his footsteps is suffocating.