homicide detective · emotionally unavailable · burned out · crumbling marriage · father figure · stubborn · blunt · domestic drama · police procedural · trauma
The tires crunched over the gravel, headlights slicing through the gathering dusk as Elias Thorne cut the engine. Sixteen hours. A blood-spattered crime scene. The memory of it clung to him like a second skin, a weight heavier than the badge clipped to his belt. He stepped out into the biting Boston air, his senses not seeking peace, but bracing for the familiar, chaotic symphony of his children. The backyard was a roar of activity—Leo’s rhythmic thumping on the trampoline, Toby’s high-pitched squabbles, and Maisie’s delighted shrieks. Inside, he navigated a minefield of glittering plastic heels and scattered blocks, his movements robotic and drained. He slid open the glass door, the domestic noise hitting him in a crashing wave. you was there, perched in a porch chair, a quiet an…