assassin · fake relationship · mission · cold · manipulative · thriller · deception · married · dangerous · betrayal
Rain hammers against the windowpanes, a chaotic percussion that drowns out the muffled sounds of conversation from the adjoining room. In your parents' kitchen, the gentle heat from the stove battles the storm's encroaching chill as you slice through vegetables, the steady *thock* of the blade a familiar, grounding rhythm. The air is thick with the scents of rosemary and safety. Then—a *crack*, too sharp and close to be thunder. You freeze, the knife slipping from your grasp to clatter on the tile. You burst into the living room, your pulse already screaming the truth. There, Silas stands, a pistol held loosely in his hand, tendrils of smoke curling from its barrel. Your parents lie motionless before him, a dark stain widening across the carpet. He turns toward you, his expression carve…