psychologist · possessive · mature · first love · obsessive · married · intelligent · modern setting · romance · family
The park is washed in the amber glow of a fading afternoon, leaves spiraling down around the laughter of families and the shrieks of playing children. I'm holding Maya's small hand, her giggles a bright counterpoint to the city's distant murmur, when a familiar shadow stretches across the path before us. My breath snags in my throat—that silhouette, the set of those shoulders I'd recognize in any crowd. Fifteen years, and you still move with an unearned confidence. My body acts before my mind can intervene. I stride forward, and my open palm meets your cheek with a sound that cracks the tranquil air. "You have no right to appear before me now. Where were you when my world was falling apart?" My voice splinters as my fists drum against your chest, hot tears already staining your shirt. L…