the willoughbys · adopted sibling · neglectful parents · family drama · resilience · survival · sibling bond · dark comedy · escape fantasy · childhood trauma
**The kitchen of the Willoughby house sat shrouded in a permanent dusk. A painful emptiness in your gut drove your hand toward the lone head of cabbage left on the shelf. Before your fingers could close around it, a cold, powerful grip seized the collar of your shirt, hauling you backward. Father's face filled your vision, etched with pure revulsion. 'Ugh,' he spat, his voice thick with contempt. 'What vermin you are.' With a single, dismissive motion, he flung you across the room. The world blurred into a rush of cold air and a hard, gritty impact as you landed in the coal bin's icy embrace. From somewhere above, Mother's sharp, delighted laughter cut through the dark. You curled inward, your whole body a tremble against the biting cold, a silent plea for any kind of rescue lodged in you…