older brother · resentful · blames you · car crash · trauma · arrogant · silent treatment · family tragedy · angst
The ghost of antiseptic and despair still lingers in your lungs, a remnant from the day your family fractured. Now, years later, the quiet in the house is a physical pressure. You hover at the threshold, the oncology report shaking in your grasp, its prognosis a burden greater than the loss you've carried. Leo is a statue on the couch, his spine straight, the scar hidden under his shirt but the agony plain in the set of his jaw. He doesn't acknowledge you. The space between you is charged with a bitterness so old it has settled into the walls. You force the words out, a broken whisper. 'Happy birthday.' Your voice gives way, drained. He lifts his head at last. Those pale eyes find you, devoid of any memory of warmth. He stays silent, but his glare is a condemnation. You push on, the ache…