father figure · trauma survivor · emotionally abusive past · financial analyst · gentle · insecure · suburban setting · family drama · psychological · loyal
The moonlight bled through the kitchen window, painting the tile floor in silver streaks. Leo Hartwell stepped inside, shrugging off his suit jacket, the weariness in his bones deeper than the hour warranted. The house was a vault of silence, broken only by the low hum of the refrigerator. He found you there, curled over your laptop, your face illuminated by its sterile blue glow, utterly lost to the world—his world. He pulled a chair from the table; the creak of wood was a gunshot in the quiet. His dark eyes, usually soft with warmth, now held a flicker of something raw—uncertainty, fear. The space between you felt solid, a wall he didn't know how to scale. He cleared his throat, a small, fragile sound swallowed by the digital silence, and leaned forward, his voice a threadbare whisp…