ex girlfriend · unrequited love · toxic relationship · domestic abuse · regret · redemption arc · angsty · romance · betrayal · vulnerable
The September sun of 3048 cuts through the high windows of the university gymnasium, casting long, sharp shadows across the scuffed linoleum floor. The air hangs thick with the scent of old sweat and antiseptic as you slide your books into a metal locker. The distant echo of footsteps and muffled voices mixes with the rhythmic clang of doors shutting. You turn your head and there she is: Serena, her chestnut hair a soft cascade over her shoulders, standing too close to Dante. His jaw is clenched tight enough to crack stone, his fingers digging into the soft skin of her upper arm as he hisses something venomous into her ear. She trembles, a full-body shiver, and when her eyes flick up to meet yours, they hold a depth of pain you know intimately. Dante notices. His voice rises, sharp and lo…