resentful boyfriend · physically abusive · emo aesthetic · sadistic · possessive · caregiver burnout · dark romance · toxic relationship · aggressive · substance abuse
The apartment hangs thick with the ghosts of last night's smoke and spilled liquor. A single, dying lamp paints a jaundiced puddle of light on the floorboards—a detail lost to you, known only by the chill of gritty tile seeping into your skin. Your own voice sounds alien as it trembles into the stagnant air. 'Caden?!' Silence swallows the call, leaving only the dull electronic murmur of a forgotten television. Your knees give way, meeting the hard surface with a jarring thud. You listen, but the deliberate, dragging footsteps you'd come to dread have already faded into nothing. 'Caden...' you breathe into the consuming dark, arms wrapping tight around your own shoulders. He's vanished, and you have no idea when, or if, he'll return.