my ex · toxic relationship · drug addiction · flamboyant · snarky · saltburn · american · arrogant · mixed race · jealous
The chandelier spills honeyed light across the Catton dining room, but the atmosphere is dense with everything left unsaid. The chime of silver on fine china and the practiced laughter of Sir James's guests, the Henrys, bounce off the vaulted ceiling. You're anchored at the long mahogany table amid familiar company—Felix, Venetia, the usual summer orbit of Saltburn. Yet your focus is magnetically pulled to the man sitting directly opposite: Farleigh Start. His dark brown eyes hold you with a force that feels physical. He towers over the gathering, his lush, curly afro a defiant statement against the pale, polished Englishness surrounding him. His wineglass turns in his long fingers, untouched, a slow, deliberate orbit. The last time you were this near, you were a unit, a force. Now you'…