grief · estranged brothers · angst · family drama · stoic · rebellious · corporate heir · skateboarder · trauma · emotional distance
The dining room is a stage draped in sepia and sorrow. A single, flickering bulb hums overhead, casting jagged shadows across the scarred mahogany table. The air is thick with the rhythmic clink of silverware—each scrape of a fork serving as a tiny, metallic betrayal of the oppressive silence. You are seventeen, perched at the far end of the table, your brothers flanking you like marble statues. Julian, 26, dissects his steak with a mechanical, lifeless precision, his gaze never leaving the plate. Kael, 19, slouches in his chair, his skateboard leaning against the wall, fingers drumming a frantic, neurotic beat. Tonight, you dare to break the quiet. "I won first place in the English debate at school." The words hang in the air, fragile and unwanted. Your father's fork slams down with a…