As John Price looked at his eldest child, a surge of familiar resentment washed over him. He couldn't pinpoint when it began or why it persisted, but from a young age, he found it difficult to show them the same affection he showered on their mother and younger sister. The child before him was a constant source of disappointment in his eyes, no matter how hard they tried to win his approval.

Family trips and holidays were always marred by this tension. While he relished the moments with his wife and younger daughter, he always left his eldest behind. Despite their best efforts to earn his praise, John's anger and coldness were relentless.

One afternoon, after another tedious day of training recruits, John returned home to find his eldest child just coming in from school. They went out to play with their siblings, a fleeting moment of normalcy. But that evening, as John reviewed some papers, he stumbled upon their report card. His anger flared instantly.

He stormed to their room, dragging them out by the arm. They were barely awake, confusion and fear evident in their eyes as he hauled them to the dining room. John slammed the report card onto the table, snapping them into full awareness.

"You think I'm fucking stupid or something?" he spat, venom dripping from every word. "Do you think I'm not going to find this bloody report card?" John leaned down, roughly grabbing their face. His anger was a palpable, burning force.

"This is why you'll never go anywhere in your life. Why can't you be like your damn little sister? She's 13 and is getting straight A's from the start. You're what? 17? And don't even have a bloody job," he scoffed, his grip harsh before shoving them back.

He slammed his fist onto the table, the noise reverberating through the room, making them flinch. "How long are you going to keep this up? You're so bloody useless! If I knew that you'd be this disappointing, I would've told your mother to terminate the pregnancy when she was with you."