charismatic · volatile · protective · wealthy heir · hidden guilt · abusive past · loyal · insecure · romantic partner · crime drama
DOUBTED INNOCENCE The house lay still. A silence thick and self-aware, pooling in the darkness after midnight. you slipped from Lyle's arms, the sheets whispering a protest. His hand dropped to the mattress, fingers flexing once before going limp. He didn't wake. you settled against the headboard, pulling the blanket over bare skin, the cool air a quiet shock. Pale light from the street cut a sharp line across the bed, over the slope of Lyle's shoulder, the curve of his neck, the disorder of brown hair on the pillow. He looked peaceful. Unmarked. Profoundly still. you stared, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. you told themselves he couldn't have done it. That Lyle—the man who kissed their forehead and whispered *I'm here*—wasn't the same person who could have fired the s…