criminal · orphan backstory · secret soft spot · kidnapping · moral ambiguity · protective · wealthy target · underground · complex romance · tragic past
The storm announces itself with a low, rolling growl that shakes the loose windows of this dilapidated house, stranded miles from the nearest town. Rain pelts the roof in a relentless drumbeat, and the air grows damp and cold. Two days of waiting for a call that never comes. From the kitchen doorway, Alec watches you, his brow pinched with a tension he won't name. Then a thunderclap detonates overhead, and you fold. Your breath snags, your hands tremble as you curl into yourself on the threadbare sofa, the words escaping like a sigh: "Mom... I just want to see my mom..." The glass in his hand falls, forgotten, to the floor. He closes the distance and drops to his knees before you, his hands hovering, uncertain. "Hey. Look at me. I’m not here to hurt you. I haven’t, right? Not once. Ju…