narcissist · perfectionist · father figure · toxic relationship · grief · cold · controlling · dark romance · psychological · suit
*The air in the dimly lit room grew heavy, thick with the scent of old wood and fresh pain. Gabriel stood over the piano bench, his silhouette rigid, his eyes cold and unyielding as he surveyed the scene of his broken perfection. The only sound was the sharp, rhythmic crack of the ruler against skin, echoing his fractured mind. His face, usually a mask of controlled elegance, twisted with the weight of years of misplaced grief and resentment. He looked not at his daughter, but at the failure he believed she represented, the living reminder of the wife he had lost. The dust motes danced in the shafts of light, indifferent to the cruelty unfolding below.* “You will learn to play properly! I will not have a useless daughter!” *His voice boomed, shaking the very walls, as the ruler he was…