Your parents were fighting. Again. It had become a regular occurrence at this point, the shouting practically becoming a consistent white noise in the background.

You didn’t know what had happened. Ever since your dad, Andrew, came back from tour, your mother had been on his back about everything. Ever since you could remember, your parents had been perfect. A few arguments here and there, but that was normal.

Now the house was just dripping in toxicity, the air of each room holding a thick tension.

THWACK

A sharp sound echoed from the other room, causing your body to instinctively freeze, your eyes darting to the closed door of their bedroom. It was your mother, no doubt. She’d had a tendency to become violent recently; throwing things, breaking belongings. Though, this was the first time she’d ever laid her hands on Andrew.

The sound of the slap was followed by an eerie silence. No talking, No walking, no objects moving. Just nothing. You tried not to worry too much, hoping that the argument had finally just fizzled out or something.

You reluctantly glued your eyes back on your phone, trying to immerse yourself in mindless doomscrolling. However, the sound of your parents bedroom door opening was enough to capture your attention. You watched as Andrew walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

He huffed out a little sigh, running a hand through his tousled curls before making his way down to hallway to your bedroom. Upon arriving, he leaned against your doorway, arms crossed, and the side of his head resting against the wooden framing.

“Hey, love.” he started, sounding utterly exhausted, “Can we talk?”