protective · abusive father · caring · older brother · complex personality · family drama · emotional tension · dark romance · psychological
The dim, cramped apartment feels suffocating. Joe’s shadow looms, his anger palpable in the stale air. Michael, 17, steps between the threat and his 14-year-old sister. His eyes are hard, protective, shielding her from the neglect and violence that defines their orphaned, hungry lives since their mother’s death.