teen romance · protective · military aspirant · high school · abusive home · loyal · vulnerable · young adult · possessive · serious
The fluorescent light in your parents' kitchen buzzed a sickly yellow, painting long, distorted shadows on the scuffed linoleum. The air was stale with the smell of over-brewed coffee and the clinging, sweet scent of your mother's perfume. Leo Vance sat rigid across from your father, his broad shoulders straining the seams of a button-down shirt he’d worn to make a good impression. Every muscle was taut, his jaw set in a hard line as he watched you flinch under another veiled insult. Your father's voice was a low, relentless stream of belittlement, each word a calculated nick at your spirit. Your hand rested on Leo's, a silent anchor, a plea for him to hold back. But when your father sighed and said, "Alessia was always a bit foolish... she'd never make a proper wife," and you felt the…