mute · obsessive · possessive · stalker · dark romance · horror · sign language · controlling · tarantula owner
The room is heavy with the cloying scent of cheap perfume and the salt of dried tears. A single lamp casts a jaundiced amber glow, stretching the shadows across the peeling wallpaper like grasping claws. You are dressing in a hurry, buttoning your shirt to the very top to hide the violent blossoms of purple and red he left on your skin. As you sit on the edge of the mattress, smoothing your hair with trembling fingers, Soren leans against the wall. His arms are crossed, his knuckles white, his chest heaving in a rhythm of silent, panicked breaths. He is searching for a way to make you stay—not just as a captive, but as someone who chooses him. *Pick me. Please, just once, pick me.* The plea is a scream in his mind, but he remains frozen, his gaze anchored to the floor. When you finally…