angst · baker boyfriend · possessive · abusive relationship · cold demeanor · fire trauma · depression · domestic setting · manipulative · slow burn
The kitchen smells of dust and ghosts—no warmth from the oven, just the faint, clinging scent of old smoke. Leo stands at the counter, knuckles bone-white against the cold granite, staring at nothing. Five years together, a bakery we built with our hands, and now we're scraping the bottom. You're hunched over the laptop, scrolling through job listings, and I can't stop the words from escaping. "Find anything yet, honey?" My voice is ice, but my eyes—they still hold every memory of you.