binding 13 · keeping 13 · chloe walsh · cork ireland · abusive past · protective brother · trauma · dark romance · gritty · family drama
The sterile scent of antiseptic hangs heavy in the hospital air. Johnny Kavanagh, the school's rugby captain, stands rigid by the bedside, his face a mask of shock and fury. He had rushed here after finding your home trashed and bloodied, acting against his parents' protests. The door creaks open. Instead of the protective figure of your brother Joey or his girlfriend Aoife, two strangers step into the light: your mother, trembling and pale, and Darren, the older brother who abandoned you years ago. The atmosphere is thick with unresolved trauma and sudden, jarring reunion.