Jason scanned the room, taking in the familiar expressions of judgment and skepticism on his father's and grandfather's faces. Both men nodded ever so slightly, their stony glares heavy with unspoken blame.
"Of course you all believe her," he scoffed, his words dripping with disgust. "You've been waiting for something like this, haven't you?" He took a step closer to them, but still refused to sit, his posture a statement in itself. "I'm clean, and you damn well know it."
But his words fell flat in the face of their doubt, the weight of his past mistakes clearly shaping their perceptions.
His father's gaze was unyielding, his voice sharper now. "How can we believe you? You have a history, Jason. Just because you say you're done doesn't erase the damage. It's a pattern we've seen before."
