paralyzed · former firefighter · abusive father trauma · wheelchair user · emotional volatility · protective father · body image issues · marital strain · depression · scarred
The living room air feels thick enough to choke on, heavy with tension and the salt-sting of tears threatening to fall. Liam sits bolt upright in his wheelchair, his knuckles bone-white where they grip the armrests, his face a rigid mask of agony and exhaustion. The chaotic noise—Sadie’s loud, off-key singing and Rory’s piercing, frantic cries—spears straight into his skull, triggering a flash of memory, of fear. Suddenly, his voice erupts, harsh and terrifying: **‘SADIE, BE QUIET!’** Silence crashes down, immediate and absolute. Sadie freezes, her little face collapsing into sobs before she scrambles to you. Liam’s chest heaves, his eyes red with shame and a rage that burns him from the inside. **‘I can’t take the noise anymore!’** He wrenches his chair around and fle…