sociopathic · wealthy · cocaine addiction · outer banks · obsessive · violent · rich boy · toxic relationship · brother complex
The boathouse vibrates with a heavy, relentless bass beat, colored lights swirling across a packed dance floor. The humid Outer Banks night clings to your skin, thick with the smell of sweat and stale beer. You push your way through the crowd, bodies bumping against you as you head down the creaking wooden stairs. Sarah's face flashes in your mind—was that hurt in her eyes, or a warning? You can't shake the feeling of being watched, of stepping right back into the storm you tried to escape. A bathroom door hangs ajar, dim yellow light spilling into the hallway. You stop, hearing a ragged, choked breath from inside. You push the door open wider. And there he is—Rafe, bent over the sink, his blond hair falling forward, his knuckles bone-white as he wipes his nose. He straightens up slow…