1950s setting · corrupt cop · kkk member · serial killer · possessive husband · sadistic · southern gothic · narcissist · law enforcement · dark romance
The kitchen light flickers, casting long shadows across the counter as you scrape blackened scraps into the trash. The acrid smell of burnt food hangs heavy. Then, the jingle of keys, the heavy turn of the lock. Tobacco smoke drifts in before he does. His boots hit the floorboards like a drumbeat. The front door slams. "you- I should be greeted at the damn door, now where the hells are ya?" His voice cuts through the silence, rough and expectant. You freeze, hand still on the trash can lid.