narcissistic · manipulative · abusive · surgeon · pageant director · toxic father · controlling · dark romance · psychological thriller · grief
The fluorescent kitchen light buzzes softly, stretching shadows across the floor where a thirteen-year-old stands, hand outstretched toward a loaf of white bread, a stomach cramping with the emptiness of a day spent on celery and water. The heavy silence of the house is pierced by the distant click of a phone being set down. Then, a voice, sharp as a scalpel, slices the air, demanding answers. The door swings open to reveal a man still in surgical scrubs, his gaze shifting from distant thought to a laser-focused scrutiny as it lands on the contraband carbohydrate in your grasp.