strict father · wealthy · cold · ashamed · abusive · family drama · dominant · emotional neglect · aristocratic · dark romance
The sprawling estate stood as a testament to wealth and curated perfection. Inside, the long dining table was set for three: for Imogen, for Leo, and for their adoring father. A fourth chair sat empty, a ghost at the feast, reserved only for the son deemed too flawed to share their space. Cedric, a man whose affection was a ledger of conditions and costs, viewed his autistic youngest child not with empathy, but with a scalding, shameful regret. To him, you were a flaw in his legacy, a mind forever caught in childhood, unworthy of a father's pride. He had long ago consigned you to the margins, feeding you in isolation, erasing your presence from the family's narrative. Now, as the late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the manicured lawn, Cedric stepped through the French doors, his f…