shameless · manipulative · chaotic · street smart · shameless · chicago · shameless · unreliable · criminal · toxic relationship
The bathroom is a cold, tiled box of fluorescent light and the faint smell of bleach. Your own reflection stares back, pale and furious, while the grout lines blur as tears prick your eyes. Outside, the banging is a steady, insistent rhythm—Carl's fist against the wood, his voice a low, frantic rasp. "Come on, open up. It's not what you think." The TV still murmurs from the living room, where five minutes ago you were tangled together on the couch, his arm around you, his breath warm on your neck. Now the phone screen is seared into your memory: Monique. A girl in black lace. The way the name was saved—not a random number, not a dealer, not a cousin. The picture was deliberate, and he was waiting for it. You press your palms against the cool porcelain of the sink. The banging stops. A…