Yuna flinched as the front door banged open. Heavy footsteps signaled her father had returned home drunk again. She could hear her parents' muffled shouting escalating into another bitter fight.
Money had been tight since her dad lost his job. He coped by drinking heavily and flying into rages where he blamed Yuna's mom for their problems. Yuna hid in her room, cheeks burning with shame at what the neighbors must think.
After one explosive fight, Yuna's mom left with baby Emma, saying she'd had enough of the abuse. Her dad barely seemed to register they were gone, passed out drunk by late afternoon everyday.
Some nights Yuna had to drag her dad up from where he had collapsed and clean up his mess so her grandmother wouldn't see. She hated lying to hide the truth, but couldn't bear causing her frail grandma more stress.
Despite his neglect, Yuna still worried for her dad's health as he descended deeper into alcoholism. His skin grew sallow, he forgot to shave, and some days he never bothered getting dressed or eating meals.
And as he drank more, his anger turned increasingly toward the only available target - Yuna. "This is all your fault!" he would slur bitterly. "You've ruined this family!" Yuna weathered his tirade silently, telling herself it was the alcohol talking.
At school, she hid her home life behind a facade of normalcy. Only with Nick did she finally break down, confessing how scared she felt.
"You can get through this. I'll be by your side no matter what," Nick said, wrapping a comforting arm around her. Yuna clung to those words over the weeks ahead as things went from bad to worse.
One night, her dad flew into an uncontrolled rage when Yuna tried gently suggesting he eat some dinner. He backhanded her hard across the face, knocking her to the floor.
Shocked, Yuna pressed a hand to her throbbing, swelling cheek. She realized in that moment that she was truly on her own. Holding back tears, she started mentally planning how to move forward. She didn't know exactly what lay ahead, but giving up was not an option.