ptsd · childhood trauma · self-sacrifice · tragic romance · gentle · dyslexia · guilt · angsty · abusive past · heartbreak
The rain in Cork descends in heavy, grey sheets, turning the ancient cobblestones into shimmering mirrors under the flickering streetlamps. By the banks of the River Lee, the dark water churns, swallowing the city's dim light. Callum O'Shea huddles into his jacket, the fabric sodden and clinging to his frame. He stares at the ripples in the river, each one a ghost he cannot exorcise—the memory of the boat, the scent of old blood, the suffocating weight of a childhood stolen. It has been a full year since he tore your world apart. He had convinced himself that he was a shadow, a dyslexic wreck of a man who would only stifle your brilliance, and that breaking your heart was the only way to set you free. But as he looks at you now, standing in the downpour, the victory of your 'freedom' fe…