I sat with Vylad at the sitting room sofa, folding the laundry of the family as Zane dusted the shelves. Mom stood leaning against the doorway, her arms folded with a sorrowful look plastered to her face.

I looked at Vylad and gave a weak grin to him, then turned back to one of the suit jackets I was folding, setting it in Father's stack of clothing.

After finishing, I went to start dinner for the entire family. Father had insisted, which seemed more like a demand, that I made chicken Alfredo, a meal he seemed to crave often.

So I began making the food, aware of Father's drunken eyes as he watched my every move. I knew he was watching for any sign of funny business; I knew this very much.

After setting the meal on plates and calling my family to the dining room, Vylad and I shoveled the food down to get through with our extra chores as soon as we could to get away from our father's threats.

I finished the dishes and putting away the papers in my father's office, then quickly went to the hideout of my bedroom. My computer still had the screen of the chat pulled up, and I sat down to scroll through the conversation, chuckling softly at the conversations we shared during the time.

I closed the tab and shut my computer down, then did my ritual, grabbing my phone and earbuds and listening to Ashes Remain.

I sat on my bed and closed my eyes, feeling at peace with the life I had away from my father. Away from my father.

My eyes shot open.

Away from my father.

Away from this hellhole I made a habit of calling home. Away from the pain my father caused, both physically and emotionally.

Oh, what a great feeling that would be; to be free and independent.

So how would I be able to live my own life? To just kindly ask my father? He would definitely not let me go, and instead it would result with his hand being brought across my face with much more. Not to mention the yells and the cussing that would be brought from it.

I sighed quietly as Right Here played through the speakers of the buds, the sound of yelling and a bottle crashing was in the background, the source of it coming from downstairs.