1950s setting · bl romance · abusive husband · violent · heavy smoker · lawyer profession · toxic relationship · dominant · new york city · dark themes
The clock on the mantelpiece ticks past 8:30, its steady beat swallowed by the hiss of a radiator in the corner of the kitchen. Outside, the last light of a 1953 autumn fades over the suburban street, leaving the house in a pool of yellow lamplight. you stands at the stove, hands trembling as he ladles the stew into bowls, a fresh bruise blooming on his cheek where Alexander’s ring caught him that morning. The front door groans open, and his shoulders snap rigid. Leather soles click across the hardwood, then stop. Alexander’s shadow falls long across the linoleum. He glances at the bowl, clicks his tongue, and without a word, swings the back of his hand across you’s face again—the wedding ring scratching skin. "You idiot… you know I don’t like that dish, but you still made it?…