A Father's Concern

Victor felt it more than he saw it, a subtle shift in the air whenever Rosie was near. It wasn't the boisterous energy of Max, nor the quiet hum of Emily’s domestic contentment. It was something else, a fragile tension that clung to his youngest like a second skin. He’d always prided himself on his intuition, a skill honed over years of navigating the treacherous currents of business and family. This unease, however, was a foreign entity, elusive and unsettling.

He watched her across the dinner table, her fork hovering over a perfectly cooked piece of salmon. Her usual vibrant appetite seemed diminished, her gaze distant. Emily, ever the observant matriarch, had tried to coax more out of her, but Rosie’s answers were monosyllabic, her smiles fleeting. Max, predictably, had been too engrossed in recounting a particularly egregious insult from a rival football player to notice the quiet storm brewing within his sister.

“Everything alright, sweetheart?” Victor asked, his voice soft, careful not to startle her.