Shattered Veneer

Breakfast did not feel like breakfast.

It felt like something waiting to explode.

The table was set like always. Food laid out neatly. Coffee hot. Juice poured. Everything looked calm.

But the air was heavy.

Too quiet.

Damon sat at the head of the table, staring at nothing. His coffee had gone cold. He had not taken a sip. His jaw was bruised, his lip slightly split. He looked like a man who had b