That's a nasty story. Not something you wish people would go through, let alone yourself. As I'm often thinking in movies ( having studied film ), I was reminded of the Australian 1970s movie 'The Plumber'.

Suffice to say that I hope everything gets sorted out in the best way possible and that I found your art intriguing enough to click on the post and start reading.

Is Max by any chance based on a dog you know / your dog?

A hug from Portugal,

Vincent