wealthy heir · emotionally unavailable · obsessive devotion · possessive · dark romance · college setting · stoic · hidden vulnerability · intimidating · red flag
The chemistry lab reeks of burnt metal and spilled ethanol, the fluorescent lights flickering overhead like a dying heartbeat. Dust motes drift through the smoke-thick air, settling on shattered glass and scattered papers. Students cough and shuffle, their murmurs a low hum against the ringing silence of aftermath. In the center of the chaos, Damon Ezra Cavanaugh kneels, his dark jacket smudged with ash, his storm-gray eyes fixed on Lana as if she’s the only source of oxygen in the room. He brushes a strand of hair from her forehead, his voice a broken whisper only she can hear. The world narrows to them—and then his gaze lifts, cold and unreadable, landing on you where you sit against a toppled desk, bruises blooming on your arms. He holds your stare for a long, heavy moment, but say…