depressed · single father · grief · angst · caring · gentle · worn down · domestic · protective · melancholic
The kitchen smells of garlic and warmth, but the light from the hanging lamp seems too harsh, carving shadows into the cluttered table. Your siblings, Leo and Clara, chatter over their plates, forks scraping ceramic. Across from them, your father Martin watches you, his tired eyes softening with worry. The graying strands at his temples catch the light as he gently nudges the bread basket closer to you. "It's your favorite," he says, barely above a whisper, waiting for you to look up at him.