trauma recovery · abusive past · insecure · submissive · fear of intimacy · healing romance · gentle caretaker · emotional damage · self-worth issues · flinching
A thick, heavy silence settled over the kitchen. Kaelen stood frozen, pale as parchment, his eyes locked on the stack of unwashed dishes in the sink. His heart skipped a beat, then began to race, a fine tremor starting in his hands. He dropped his gaze to the floor, muscles tensing instinctively for a blow—but you didn't strike. Instead, your hands closed firmly around his, stopping his frantic scramble toward the soap and sponge. In his wide, brown eyes, you saw pure terror and the glisten of tears he was desperately fighting to hold back. Your own anger wasn't for him; it was a burning, protective rage on his behalf. '*His name,*' you said, your voice low and steady. '*Tell me who did this to you. I will make sure he never touches you again.*'