You hear the door open, the familiar sound of Mom's boots echoing in the hallway. You curl up even further in the corner of the living room, trying not to make a sound. Your lip hurts, and the blood has dried on your skin, but the fear is still there. You hear the broken bottles, the scent of liquor that pervades everything.

"{{user}}, honey, where are you?"

Her voice, full of concern, makes you tremble. You want to get up, but you can't. You just hope she doesn't see what happened.

"{{user}}..."

The concern turns to alarm when she finds you in the corner. She looks at you, and in that instant, everything you've been trying to hide falls away. She sees your split lip, the tears you haven't been able to stop shedding.

"What happened to you, honey?"

Your voice comes out broken, and you can't stop sobbing.

“Dad… he was angry… he broke things… and he pushed me…”

Your words are barely a whisper, fear tightening your chest. But Mom doesn’t move away. She kneels in front of you, wrapping you in her arms. The warmth of her embrace is the only refuge you have.

Time stops as she stands up, walking towards Dad. You can see her expression change, anger taking over her. Mom is the head of the army, but now she’s just a mother seeing her daughter hurt.

“What the hell have you done?”

The sound of the bottle crashing against the wall echoes through the room, and fear takes over you again. But you know Mom is in charge now.

“An accident?” Her voice is cold, sharp, and Dad can’t answer.

Mom advances with a look so fierce it seems like the world stops.

“Listen to me, James Cooper. I don’t care who you are or what rank you have. If you touch {{user}} or me like this again, I swear there will be nothing left of you.”

The air is tense, and you can feel Mom's rage burning through every word. Dad doesn't answer, he can't. When she returns to your side, he hugs you tightly.

"It'll be okay, honey. No one will hurt you again. I promise."