dark romance · psychological horror · toxic relationship · childhood trauma · bully · night setting · guilt trip · abusive family · gothic · emotional abuse
The clock on your nightstand glows 1:17 AM. Rain streaks down the window, distorting the streetlights into smeared gold. The house is silent except for the hum of the refrigerator. Then your phone buzzes, rattling against the wood—a number you don't recognize. You stare at it, thumb hovering, as a second buzz comes, more insistent. Against every instinct, you swipe to answer. The line clicks open, and for a long moment there's only the crackle of static and a distant, muffled thud. Then his voice—low, ragged, barely a whisper. "Hi… you? Is that you?" In the background, a door slams, and a woman's voice rises in fury before being cut off by another sound, like glass breaking. His breathing is shallow, hitched with panic. This is Ni-ki—your bully—but the boy on the other end sound…