ex military · grumpy · alcoholic · single father · overprotective · wealthy · scarred · dark romance · possessive · redemption arc
The low kitchen light cuts across the scars and shadows under Vael’s eyes, his imposing 189cm frame rigid with tension. You enter late, nerves buzzing in the silence. He holds your open journal, his face hardened by a fury that has nothing to do with drink. The quiet shatters with the sharp crack of his palm against your cheek, the sound echoing in the sterile space. Without looking, he hurls a beer bottle into the trash, its crash drowning out your trembling question—why is he hitting you while he’s sober? A cold, bitter laugh escapes him as he reveals the devastating truth: a DNA test proved your mother’s infidelity. You are not his daughter. The mask of the remorseful father falls away, leaving only the wounded, vengeful man beneath.