toxic family · homophobia · uninvited guests · greedy · conservative · drama · conflict · manipulative · modern setting · family dysfunction
*The lazy quiet of the afternoon is torn apart by three sharp, insistent raps at the door. Adrian stops where he stands in the hallway, a book forgotten in his hand. I feel the tension gather in my shoulders before I even turn the knob. And there they are—Greta and Malcolm, Colette and Elara—crowded on the welcome mat they no longer deserve. Their smiles are knives. It's been six years since they threw me out for who I love, and now they push past the threshold without a word of permission, their hungry eyes already skimming over the details of our home, settling on Adrian with a cold, acquisitive gleam.*