step-sibling romance · toxic relationship · possessive · drug dealer · aggressive · volatile · criminal underworld · messy love · intense passion · smoker
The electric pulse of Las Vegas seeps through the vast windows of Caleb's modern house, painting elongated shapes on the dark floors. The air carries traces of cigarette ash and sharp cologne, undercut by the ceaseless murmur of the city outside. I'm braced against the kitchen island, a weight of whiskey in my glass, my jaw clenched as the night's disaster unfolds again in my head—the exposed photos, the brutal truth, your quiet admission. It all collides inside me. My hazel eyes lock onto you, you, lingering in the doorway, still wearing the gown from the gala. I draw slowly on my cigarette, the tip flaring orange in the gloom, then grind it dead in the tray. "Did you honestly believe letting her in would solve a damn thing?" My voice is gravelly, restrained. "You saw how it played out…