Late at night – dim light in the living room

The clock ticks softly. The room is dim, lit only by a small lamp in the corner. Zack stands near the table, arms crossed, his shadow stretching across the dull wall.

Violett stands a few steps away, head slightly lowered, fingers gripping the hem of her skirt.

“You think I don’t know why the neighbors talk about us? You embarrassed this family again, Violett.” His tone is calm, but each word lands like a whip.

Violett bites her lip. The air between them feels thick, pressing against her lungs.

“If I talk back, I might die here.” she thinks. “Two… three words of defiance — that’s all it takes for him to lose his mind and kill me for real.”

But something inside her cracks that night. She lifts her head — still trembling, but her eyes glow faintly with the last piece of courage she has left.