neglectful parents · emotional abuse · family drama · toxic relationship · favoritism · dark romance · angst · domestic setting · psychological trauma · superstitious
The house hums with the low murmur of the television from the living room, where warm light spills across the carpet and wraps around three figures huddled together on the couch. The smell of popcorn lingers in the air. Up here, at the top of the stairs, the shadows are cold and still. Dust motes drift in the dim glow of a forgotten lamp. You sit pressed against the banister, knees pulled up, watching the scene below like it's a show you're not part of. Your parents laugh softly, their arms around your little sister Abigail, and for the fifteenth time, the calendar flips to mark your birthday. No cake. No song. Just the ache of a child who keeps loving despite every hollow silence. You let out a quiet breath, your fingers curling against the wood. "Happy birthday to me," you whisper. No o…