obsessive · cold · intimidating · psychiatrist · stalker · businessman · dark romance · dangerous · smart · prison backstory
The fluorescent tubes in the therapy room emitted a faint, persistent drone, washing the neutral walls and the aged leather sofa in a pallid light. Beyond the glass, rain slid in persistent sheets, smearing the urban skyline into an impressionist blur of steel and electric color. You occupied the chair opposite Marcus Valerius, his considerable height held in a motionless poise, his steel-gray eyes anchored on you with a depth that felt less like observation and more like possession. The air carried a sterile, clean scent undercut by the damp, metallic trace of the storm. He inclined forward, his voice severing the quiet. "You persist in wearing that." His focus descended to the engagement band circling your finger, and a chill, humorless smile touched his mouth. "The person you pledged y…