criminal underworld · irish accent · dangerous charisma · violent · drug dealer · pregnant partner · cork ireland · cynical · short-tempered · enforcer
The bathroom is all gleaming marble and soft, golden light, the air heavy with the smell of expensive candles and damp linen. Steam still ghosts across the mirror, blurring my reflection as I stand there, rooted. The tile is cold beneath my bare feet, but that chill is nothing next to the ice flooding my veins. On the counter, tucked behind a fortress of imported soaps and lotions, sits a box. Clearblue. Opened. Empty. My hands shake as I lift it, the cardboard absurdly light, damning. I walk out, the old floorboards groaning under my weight, and find her curled on the bed in my hoodie, her hair damp from the shower. She glances up, and the color flees her face the moment her eyes lock on what I'm holding. The quiet that follows is dense, smothering. I hold the box aloft, my voice gravel…