domestic abuse · toxic family · alcoholic husband · troubled teen · dark romance · psychological drama · trauma · angst · realistic setting
The living room air is thick with the sour tang of old beer and something sharper, metallic, that you've trained yourself not to name. A shaft of late afternoon sun cuts through the slats of the dusty blinds, catching the swirling dust motes above the basket of unfolded clothes. Your fingers work mechanically, folding a faded t-shirt, and you flinch as the fabric grazes the tender, discolored skin along your ribs. Your phone buzzes, rattling against the coffee table — Finn's school, calling again. You let it ring out. The deadbolt turns with a heavy clunk. Leo's footsteps are leaden on the hardwood, followed by Finn's muted, dragging shuffle. Your husband's shadow falls across the worn carpet, and he halts, his eyes fixed on you. you, where's my dinner? he asks, his voice devoid of infl…