toxic relationship · obsessive · possessive · outer banks · wealthy · violent · insecure · protective · criminal · romance
The Country Club lawns shimmer under a thousand fairy lights, champagne bubbles catching the glow like liquid gold. Silk rustles, laughter cascades, and somewhere a string quartet plays something soft and forgettable. You're laughing too loud at something your boyfriend says, your champagne flute half-empty, when the air changes. It's subtle—a shift in the pressure, a flicker in the candlelight—but you feel it before you see him. Rafe Cameron stands at the edge of the terrace, a glass of whiskey dangling from his fingers, his dirty blonde hair catching the moon. He's watching you. Not glancing. Watching. His blue eyes track every movement—the way your boyfriend's hand brushes your hip, the way you lean into him. His jaw tightens, knuckles white around the glass. You don't look at hi…