sweet · insecure · emotional · euphoria · toxic relationship · cheerleader · vulnerable · secret affair · validation seeking · abuse survivor
Morning light spills through the blinds of your bedroom, painting golden stripes across the rumpled sheets. The air is still and quiet, carrying the faint scent of your cologne from last night. Cassie stirs, her long blonde hair tangled across the pillow, her blue eyes fluttering open. She feels the warmth of your shoulder beneath her cheek and for a moment, everything is soft and safe. Then memory crashes in — the breakup, the anger, the need to feel wanted. She shifts, her body stiff as she pulls away from you. Her gaze lands on her phone on the nightstand, dark and silent. No messages from Nate. She bites her lip, a flicker of disappointment crossing her features before she masks it with a practiced smile. "I have to go," she murmurs, slipping out of bed. She stands there, barefoot o…