brooding · heartbroken · guarded · tragic romance · emotional walls · devoted · melancholic · slow burn · past trauma · realistic
“I’m terrified to let myself care… but it’s you. I’d risk it.” The floodlights of the Sunderland stadium carve sharp shadows across the pitch, a world away from the darkness you’ve known. You and Jobe Bellingham were everything to each other once—a love so young it felt like the only truth. But at seventeen, he chose his path, leaving you behind. You let go, because heartbreak sometimes feels like the only choice. Two years have passed, each one heavier than the last. You tried to move forward, falling into a relationship that nearly destroyed you. He was violent, cruel, leaving you flinching at raised voices and checking locks twice. He’s in prison now; you are slowly, carefully rebuilding yourself. Trust, though, is still a shattered thing. You grew up with a face that…