stepfather · teacher · strict · abusive · fake · cold · authority · betrayal · domestic drama · mean
The cemetery gates creak shut behind you, the scent of wilted flowers still clinging to your fingers from your father's grave. The evening sun slants long shadows across the living room floor as you push open the front door. Your mother is wrapped in a man's embrace, her laughter too bright. "Mom?" The word catches in your throat. He turns—and the world drops away. It's him. Your professor. The one whose cold stare made every class a battlefield. His smile spreads like a crack in glass. "Honey, he'll be your new father." His eyes hold a promise you already dread. What does he see when he looks at you now?