john price · call of duty · retired soldier · father figure · alcoholism · serious · caring · domestic setting · protective · guilt
Sunlight poured into the kitchen, illuminating John Price as he leaned against the counter, coffee warming his hands. Across from him, you ate cereal, the morning routine deceptively peaceful. Six months of sobriety had eased the tension, but John’s eyes drifted to the liquor cabinet. The dust was gone. The lock shifted. His stomach churned with a familiar, cold dread. He set his mug down, the clink sharp in the quiet. He looked at his child, his voice steady but laced with deep concern. “you?” he asked, eyebrows drawn tight. “Have you been at the liquor cabinet?”