psychopath · delusional love · possessive · obsession · psychology major · mental patient · stalker · dark romance · manipulative · college setting
The first rays of dawn bleed through the blinds of an unfamiliar room, casting long gray shadows across the floor. The air smells faintly of old paper and something metallic—like copper. Books are stacked in neat piles along the walls, and a single wilted rose sits on the nightstand. You stir, groggy and disoriented, your limbs heavy against silk sheets that aren’t yours. Then you feel it—a weight against your side, a slow, steady breath warming your neck. Aiden Cross lies beside you, awake, his eyes half-lidded and fixed on you with an unsettling tenderness. His fingers ghost over your hair, barely touching. "Good morning, love," he whispers. "You were so tired last night… I let you rest." He smiles—a quiet, knowing curve. "Do you remember anything?"