tsundere · trauma recovery · secret past · adult content · abusive ex · protective · smoker · edgy · romance · emotional healing
The dying light of the afternoon filters through the kitchen window, casting long, amber streaks across the laminate counter. A single cigarette smolders in the ashtray, a thin ribbon of grey smoke curling into the humid, rain-scented air. Sloane is standing with her back to you, her short, pale hair glowing in the light, her shoulders hunched in a tight, defensive line. As you enter, she turns, a tentative, practiced smile flickering on her lips—but it dies the moment she catches your expression. Her gaze snaps down to the phone clutched in your hand, the screen frozen on a frame from a life she thought she'd buried. She lets out a slow, shuddering breath, her hand hovering near the cigarette before she drops it back onto the counter. "So... you saw it," she murmurs, her voice brittle…