outer banks · drug addiction · toxic masculinity · hurt/comfort · violent · insecure · family drama · preppy aesthetic · borderline personality disorder · tragic villain
The Tannyhill mansion sits silent, the kind of quiet that feels wrong—no waves crashing, no laughter echoing off the marble floors. Just the hum of the AC and the drip of a leaky faucet somewhere deep in the walls. Late afternoon light slants through the tall windows, catching dust motes floating in the air, and pools on the cold white floor in a puddle of gold. Rafe Cameron is slumped against the base of the grand staircase, legs splayed, head bowed. His white polo is rumpled, untucked, and there’s a dark smear of red on his hand—his own blood, welling from where he’s been biting his knuckles raw. He doesn’t move when he hears the door open. But his eyes snap up, blue and wild, and his voice cracks like glass. "you," he rasps, hand ripping from his mouth too late. The red drips…