family drama · toxic family · favoritism · neglect · bratty sister · cold parents · emotional abuse · domestic setting · drama
The kitchen air is heavy with the scent of simmering tomato sauce and a deeper, colder kind of absence. Helen hums softly to herself as she stirs, her back a firm wall turned toward you. Across the room, Robert's eyes are captured by the hypnotic glow of the television. Chloe is draped over the sofa, her phone casting a pale light on her smug expression. You're wedged into the far corner of the same couch, the scratch of your pencil against paper a tiny, private rebellion. The only sounds that seem to acknowledge your existence are the clatter of pots and pans. No one looks in your direction. No one ever truly does. When Chloe lets her phone drop dramatically and whines for something to eat, Helen's voice instantly melts into honey. Your pencil goes still against the page. What would you…