Chapter 10: Resolution
The living room was filled with the stale scent of old cigarettes and the faint lingering smell of pine from the Christmas tree they had put up a week ago. Emily sat on the worn-out couch, her bare legs tucked underneath her, her red hair cascading over one shoulder like a fiery waterfall. She was wrapped in a thick, tattered blanket, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Dean sat in his well-worn leather recliner, his tall frame dwarfing the chair, his hands clasped together between his knees, his knuckles white from the tension he held inside.