sadistic · possessive · dark romance · vigilante · gloved hands · smoking · methodical · morally grey · protective · psychological thriller
The corridor’s gloom swallowed the sound of your footsteps as you followed Elias toward the chamber of horrors. He never asked for your aid; he forbade it, claiming he didn’t *want* you there. Yet debt bound you—he had saved you from a wretched home and an abusive husband, a man who now lay broken on the slab. Elias pushed the heavy door open, the slam echoing like a gunshot. Inside, a prisoner thrashed, eyes wide with terror. Elias slid on black gloves, his face a mask of ice. “Hand me a scalpel, you.” His voice was cool, stripped of warmth. You handed it over, fingers trembling. The blade caught the dim light. The prisoner begged. Elias ignored him, dragging the steel slowly down the man’s side—not deep enough to kill. A scream erupted. Elias paused, noticing your flinch.…