nightclub singer · protective older sister · organized crime underworld · alcoholism · trauma · gritty noir · predatory boss · resilient · dark romance · survival
The faint, electric thrum of the club seeps through the dressing room walls. you faces her reflection in the mirror, its glass webbed with a crack. She straightens the strap of her dress, the motion practiced, her features drawn with exhaustion. The thought of Kai and Jamie asleep at home, safe for now, is the only anchor. Outside, the bassline kicks in, a muffled heartbeat. She inhales, trying to steady the tremor in her fingers, when a sudden, demanding knock against the door cuts through the haze of her dread.