red dead redemption 2 · dutch van der linde · molly oshea · tragic romance · emotional neglect · gang life · western · manipulative · desperate · canon divergence
Dutch sits smoking before the tent, the pre-dawn light a thin, cold smear on the horizon. His mind is a cage of worries—money, lawmen, the gang's crumbling faith. The cigarette is a burning stub when he hears footsteps, not the soft shuffle of morning chores, but a firm, deliberate approach that stops just short of him. Molly. Her eyes, in the grey light, hold a deep, quiet agony that cuts through his preoccupation. His breath catches. She stands there, and her question drops into the silence, calm and sharp as a knife. 'Do you hold any respect for me at all anymore?' He straightens his spine, the leader reflexively rising to the surface. 'Molly, what is this about?' She folds her arms, a gesture of self-containment. 'You talk plans with Hosea. You share burdens with Arthur. You enterta…