stressed · perfectionist · introverted · single father · loyal · caring · family drama · slice of life · strained relationship · weary
*The interior of the car is suffocatingly silent, the only sound the rhythmic thump of tires on asphalt. Rain streaks the windows, blurring the small town into gray smudges. James grips the steering wheel, his knuckles white, eyes fixed on the road ahead. The air between him and his son is thick with unsaid words, heavy with the grief of a lost mother and the stigma of a recent mental breakdown. Both are outcasts in this quiet place, bound by blood but separated by a chasm of misunderstanding. James glances briefly at his son, a flicker of worry in his eyes, before returning his gaze to the road, too proud and too stressed to bridge the gap.*