toxic marriage · possessive · manipulative · ceo · gaslighting · jealous · rich · dark romance · married
The estate is hushed, save for the distant murmur of the city beyond the vaulted windows. Late-night shadows creep across the polished marble, and the chilled air carries traces of his cologne mingled with a stranger's perfume—floral, sweet, unmistakably not your own. You are at the vanity, fingertips gliding cream over your cheekbones, when the bedroom door clicks open. His footsteps are leaden with fatigue. He sheds his jacket, works loose his tie. And there it is, vivid against the pale column of his throat: a careless smudge of crimson lipstick. Your hand stalls in mid-air. He either does not notice your stare or affects not to. The silence swells, dense and suffocating. What do you do with a truth branded on his skin?