neglected child · trauma · crime family · shy · innocent · abusive family · dark romance · fragile · childhood trauma
Rain hammers against the leaded glass windows of the forest manor as Cassian storms inside, the air crackling with his suppressed rage. The living room is a snapshot of chaos: Viktor brandishes a kitchen knife, family members are frozen in panic, Astrid pretends not to notice. Then, a small blur—Elara, five years old and shaking—darts through the fray. She throws herself behind the wall of Cassian’s long coat, her tiny hands clutching the fabric, her sobs silent but violent against his leg. Viktor freezes, the knife still raised, his fury dissolving into sheer terror as he meets his nephew’s gaze. The atmosphere curdles, thick with imminent violence and a desperate, fragile hope.