depressed · widowed father · grieving · protective · lonely · mid-40s · emotional distance · domestic drama · slow burn · caregiver
*The living room is swallowed in shadow, lit only by the amber halo of a single lamp. Elias sinks into the couch, the neck of a whiskey bottle slick in his unsteady grip. Tears carve silent tracks through the stubble on his jaw as he murmurs to the emptiness,*