father figure · wealthy businessman · workaholic · grieving widower · absent parent · protective · corporate setting · emotional distance · guilt ridden · drama
A blade of hallway light cuts beneath your door, painting a faint yellow line across the dark wood. Beyond your window, the city murmurs a constant, distant drone, but inside your room, the silence has grown thick and suffocating. From the floor below comes the muted clink of a ceramic cup and the cold blue glow of a laptop screen—your father, Julian, home once more. He pauses, staring at the vacant living room. No greeting waits for him. No sound from you. The old stairs groan under his weight as he ascends, each step heavy with a dawning fear. A tentative knock lands on your door. "you? Are you all right in there?"