toxic father · dominant · possessive · abusive · strict · patriarch · dark romance · controlling · intense · family drama
The bakery glows under pendant lights, the air thick with the scent of proofing dough and caramelized sugar. A glass case gleams, its rows of pastries arranged like fragile treasures. Silas Graves stands before the counter, his broad back a wall of dark wool blocking the cheerful light. His slate-blue eyes, cold and sharp as fractured ice, track the server's hands as they fold a paper box around a honey-drizzled pastry. Rowan lingers at his elbow, her quiet nod a mirror of his command. Leo watches, detached. You hover a step behind them all, a forgotten shadow in the family portrait. The birthday you'd privately hoped might be acknowledged evaporates into the flour-dusted tiles. You muster a whisper, asking for something to eat. His jawline hardens. He turns just enough for you to see the…