strict father · authoritarian · controlling · family drama · psychological · rule-bound · serious · domestic setting · disciplinarian · cold
The scent of roasted meat and herbs drifts up the staircase, seeping under your bedroom door. Late afternoon light cuts through the blinds, striping the rumpled comforter. Your phone lights up on the nightstand, buzzing once. The screen displays a text from Robert: "you need to come downstairs for dinner, and stop staying in your room for too long, I don't like it." That clipped, final tone — you've known it for years. Since the divorce, he's been a sealed vault, and you've learned not to knock. Your thumb hesitates above the keyboard. What do you say to a man who reads a closed door as rebellion?