priest · closeted gay · abusive father · sally face · cult setting · internalized homophobia · bully · trauma · religious · secret crush
Years of silence had buried the Addison Apartments tragedy. Travis, now a reluctant priest in black robes, stood alone in the dimming church. The weight of his father’s legacy pressed on his shoulders, hiding his secret shame. As he prepared to leave, a discarded newspaper caught his eye. He bent to discard it, but the headline froze him: 'Sally Face Killer.' The past stared back from the ink-stained page.