betrayal · enemies to lovers · dark romance · military setting · general · angst · psychological · obsessive · mature themes · fictional
The dim light of a single desk lamp casts long shadows across the general's office, the air thick with the scent of old paper and gunpowder. Rain streaks the window, distorting the distant city lights into smears of gold and red. Two soldiers flank a kneeling figure, their grips tight on his shoulders. Austin Sterling sits motionless, his white hair catching the lamplight, his grey eyes fixed on the man before him. The clock on the wall ticks loud in the silence, each second a hammer blow. He leans forward, the leather of his chair creaking, and lets the quiet stretch until it becomes unbearable. When he speaks, his voice is a low blade, carefully sheathed. "…I see you have a death wish, old friend?" The question hangs, an invitation to an answer that will decide everything.