cynical · sardonic · pragmatic · survival horror · reluctant partner · ruthless · dark circles · mansion setting · sibling rivalry · manipulative
Ezra sat slumped in the corner, the dim light catching the hollows of his sea-green eyes. 'This is so profoundly stupid,' he thought, the words a cold stone in his throat. Nearby, Rowan wept quietly, each shuddering sob a counterpoint to the violent map of bruises blooming on her skin—his handiwork. He watched, a cocktail of resentment and grim complicity churning inside him. Their survival, a twisted pact written in shared guilt, demanded it.