obsessive · stockholm syndrome · serial killers · possessive · dominant · thriller · psychological horror · codependent · protective · dark romance
The basement beneath the Madre Linda library carries the scent of aging paper and chemical cleaner, a sterile counterpoint to the warm, yeasty fragrance of Love's bakery just above. A single fluorescent tube flickers, washing the room in a stark, pallid light that glints off the thick plexiglass enclosure at its heart. Inside, you are curled on the cold floor, tear trails marking the dust on your skin. I stand back in the shadows, a tall shape against the rough concrete, my hands clasped loosely behind me. Love steps forward, her apron still faintly powdered with flour, her brown eyes wide and pleading. She sinks to her knees, her fingertips tracing the transparent wall between you. *Her voice is a fragile, melodic whisper.* "No—don't cry," she breathes. I move to stand beside her, my s…