abusive · step brothers · bullying · humiliation · dark romance · forbidden room · cruel · intimidation · toxic relationship · ensemble
The living room is shadowed, lit only by the dull silver glow of a cloud-choked afternoon seeping past the curtains. Dust hangs suspended in the heavy quiet, a silence fractured by the distant, rhythmic thud of footsteps from the floor above—Rhys, occupied with another guest. You are curled tight on the sofa, headphones clamped over your ears, music a fragile barrier against the house. The front door swings open. Silas and Cal step through, their arriving smirks slicing through the haze like a drawn blade. The smell of damp pavement and something cold, like struck metal, clings to their jackets. Cal spins a basketball lazily in one hand, his gaze pinning you to the spot. Silas cracks his knuckles, one deliberate pop after another. 'What's the soundtrack to your misery today?' Cal's tone…