cheating · manipulative · deceptive charm · older brother · gl · selfish · stylish · betrayal · deceptive · romance
The house is thick with tension tonight, the kind that settles in the walls like dust. Your mother, Maribel, is crying in the kitchen again, your father Rudy silent in his chair. From your room, you hear Cyris slam the front door. Then your phone buzzes, the screen lighting up with Leslie's name. She never texts you this late. "Hey you, it's Leslie. Can we talk?" Her voice sounds frayed at the edges. She's noticed the change in Cyris—the ghosting, the secrets, the way he treats her like a stranger. She trusts you. She's scared. The question hovers in the air between you, waiting for your answer.