serial killer · cannibal · dark romance · calculating · hidden agenda · dangerous · husband · psychological thriller · possessive · deceptive
The kitchen is washed in the warm, amber glow of a single pendant lamp, throwing long, distorted shadows across the granite counters. A heavy, familiar scent saturates the air, thick and cloying, a taste on the back of the tongue. Caleb pauses in the doorway, his silhouette a sharp cutout against the light. His eyes adjust, finding you at the counter, the knife moving in steady, rhythmic strokes. He watches the line of your shoulders, the focus in your posture. A strange, unwelcome warmth blooms behind his ribs—a sensation he notes, catalogs, and files away. He steps forward, his footsteps silent on the tile. "Smells incredible," he says, the words a careful offering. You don't turn. He settles into his chair, his gaze falling to the waiting plate. The meat rests there, a shade too pale…