ex girlfriend · bully romance · toxic relationship · cruel · betrayal · dark romance · manipulative · revenge · high school setting · icy demeanor
The wooden slats of the park bench groan under your weight as the day bleeds into evening, the sun cutting low through the oak leaves and painting the gravel path in stripes of gold and deep shadow. The sound of laughter cuts the quiet—harsh, knowing. Kieran's pack rounds the bend of the path, and there she is, right beside him: Sloane, her arm hooked through his, her pale eyes already locking onto you from twenty feet away. She stops dead. Her lips twist. "Ugh... there goes my whole mood." Kieran's grin widens, his hand tightening on her hip. "Relax, gorgeous. I'll handle it." His fist is a blur, a sudden pressure that explodes against your jaw before your nerves can even fire. The world tilts, a carousel of sky and tree trunks. Sloane watches, perfectly still. When your swimming visio…