“Family Ties That Choke: Toxic Parents and the Silent Struggle” is a gripping, emotionally raw novel that follows Eliana Harper, a successful woman haunted by the scars of her upbringing. Beneath her composed exterior lies a lifetime of wounds inflicted not by strangers, but by the very people meant to protect her—her parents.When Eliana finally breaks the silence at a family gathering, it sets off a chain of revelations, confrontations, and the painful journey toward truth. Through therapy, flashbacks, and the hard process of unlearning inherited shame, she discovers that walking away from family doesn't mean failure—it means survival.This contemporary psychological drama unearths the silent epidemic of emotional abuse behind closed doors and gives voice to millions who suffer in silence. Powerful, healing, and achingly honest, it’s a story of breaking generational cycles, choosing oneself, and becoming whole again.---Extended Story Description (Full – ~2,000 Words)Family isn’t always a sanctuary. Sometimes, it’s the first battlefield.In “Family Ties That Choke: Toxic Parents and the Silent Struggle”, we meet Eliana Harper, a poised, accomplished woman whose exterior success masks a fragile emotional core, crafted over decades of surviving life under the gaze of a narcissistic mother and a passive, complicit father. Raised in a home where appearances mattered more than authenticity, and obedience was mistaken for love, Eliana has become a master of silence—a people-pleaser, a perfectionist, and a chronic self-doubter.From the outside, Eliana seems to have it all: a promising career, a stable relationship with her boyfriend Marcus, and a quiet but seemingly successful life. But behind her measured smile lies a history of manipulation, control, and emotional neglect at the hands of her mother, Margaret, a woman who weaponizes guilt, praise, and silence in equal measure. Her father, Walter, offers sympathy in hushed tones but never action—his passivity serving as reinforcement of her mother’s unrelenting dominance.Chapter One: The House of MirrorsThe story begins with Eliana preparing to attend a family brunch—one of many emotionally taxing gatherings where she’s expected to perform the role of "the good daughter." With each step into her childhood home, she’s thrust back into a world of subtle digs, competitive comparisons, and veiled criticisms. Her younger brother, Julian, remains the golden child—the benchmark Eliana can never meet.The brunch becomes a tipping point. After a passive-aggressive exchange over her life choices, Eliana finally breaks years of silence and confronts Margaret. But instead of being met with accountability, she’s labeled ungrateful, dramatic, and "too sensitive." The entire room shifts against her. Her father avoids eye contact. Her relatives retreat in discomfort. Eliana leaves feeling exposed—but also unshackled.Thus begins her journey inward.Chapter Two: Rewind, RepeatEliana begins therapy with Dr. Herrera, a grounded, compassionate psychologist who helps her revisit her past—not just the overt moments of conflict but the insidious ones that shaped her self-worth. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn about the deeply entrenched patterns in her upbringing:At age 6, she’s scolded for being "too emotional."At 12, she wins an essay contest but is told she looked "too sloppy on stage."At 16, she’s shamed for having boundaries.At 21, she takes a job in another city and is told she's "abandoning the family."These moments are not violent. They are quiet, persistent erosions of her confidence. They teach her that love must be earned, perfection is the minimum, and self-expression is dangerous.As therapy progresses, Eliana begins to understand the impact of emotional enmeshment and narcissistic parenting. She starts journaling. Naming her pain. And most importantly, identifying that the fault never truly lay with her.She begins to redefine what it means to be “a good daughter”—not one who sacrifices her identity for peace, but one who dares to live authentically.Chapter Three: The Breaking PointMargaret’s manipulation doesn’t stop. She uses guilt like a scalpel—calling only to say, “You’ll regret this,” or “Your father misses you, even if you don’t care.” Walter, ever silent, passes along passive messages, hoping to lure Eliana back into the fold.But something in Eliana has shifted. She no longer falls for the traps of obligation and false guilt.When her father undergoes minor surgery, Eliana visits. At the hospital, Margaret corners her and demands she apologize for “the scene” at brunch. Eliana refuses—for the first time, calmly and without guilt. She tells her mother, “I deserve more than conditional love.” And she walks away.This moment becomes the true break. Not just from Margaret, but from the identity Eliana has performed her entire life. That night, she writes a letter she never sends, explaining why she can no longer prete