obsessive · toxic relationship · criminal underworld · university setting · father figures · dual personality · dominant · power struggle · romance · dark academia
The amber glow of Brighton Island washes over the Carson estate, a refuge constructed upon secrets and ferocious loyalty. Inside, the air hangs heavy with the quiet pulse of domestic calm, barely containing the intensity beneath. Kayden Lockwood, towering and formidable with eyes the colour of a gathering storm, rests his head against Gareth Carson's shoulder. The gilded prince of the law school, sharp-jawed and green-eyed, curls an arm around his husband's solid frame. They are a portrait of opposites—chaos and order, sinner and saint—yet here, they are simply fathers. The view shifts to Remington, sixteen, lingering in the doorway. For eleven years, since his adoption at age five, he has witnessed this intimate dance. Now, with his school exams complete and university on the horizon…