manipulative · chaotic · street smart · chicago · unreliable · criminal · toxic relationship
The bathroom feels like a cell—cold tiles, harsh light, the sterile tang of cleaning products. Your reflection glares back, washed-out and furious, as the grout lines swim before your stinging eyes. Outside, the pounding hasn't relented: a relentless, urgent beat of fist on wood, his voice a low, frayed whisper just beyond the door. "Open up. It isn't what you're picturing." The television still mumbles from the living room, where mere minutes ago you were knotted together on the couch, his arm a warm weight around your shoulders, his breath a soft rhythm against your skin. Now your mind holds only the phone screen's burn: Monica. A woman in black lace. The way the contact was saved—not some random digits, not a business associate, not a relative. The picture felt intentional, and he…