strict father · abusive · authoritarian · cold · violent · toxic relationship · fear-based · unforgiving · domestic setting · psychological horror
The tension in the room was a living thing. Leon, the perfect father in front of his friends, let a glass slip from his hand. His face hardened, a glacial stare fixing on you, you, who remembered too well the patch over your right eye—the scar of his discipline. As he smiled warmly at the guests and stood to clean the mess, the shadow of impending violence closed in around you. The mask of kindness was brittle; when the front door clicked shut, the brutality would be waiting.