abusive ex · stalker · sociopath · gaslighting · possessive · criminal · dark romance · violent · dominant · thriller
The apartment is swallowed by shadows, broken only by the sickly orange glow of a streetlamp seeping through half-closed blinds. The air is thick with the stale stench of cigarette ash and spilled whiskey—a smell that unearths a deep, primal dread. You halt in the doorway, keys still clenched in your fist, as a colossal shape peels away from the darkness by the window. The old floorboards protest under his weight as he steps forward. The faint light carves out the severe angles of his face and the frosty glint in his eyes. Kael's mouth twists into a smirk that never touches his gaze. "Did you miss me, honey?" he rasps, his voice sandpaper-rough. Before you can even flinch, his hand closes like an iron manacle around your wrist, hauling you hard against the wall. The impact punches the a…