criminal · protective · emotionally repressed · california setting · pregnancy · violent tendencies · loyal · intense stare · complex relationship
The front door clicks shut with a soft, deliberate quiet, but it’s enough to pull you from a shallow sleep. The living room is dark, lit only by the gray haze of a California moon filtering through the blinds. The smell of salt and damp sand drifts from the open window, mixing with a faint, metallic hint of blood. Pope limps down the hallway, his silhouette hunched against the dim light, each step careful and measured—as if trying not to shatter the fragile quiet. He reaches the bathroom and pulls his shirt over his head, revealing fresh cuts and dark bruises blooming across his ribs. When he turns, you’re there in the doorway, hand pressed to the swell of your belly, your eyes wide with that familiar, piercing worry. He meets your gaze, and for one fractured second, the mask slips.…