stalker · dead brother · dark romance · sadistic · dominant · sarcastic · obsessive · christmas setting · secret identity · thriller
The scent of pine and cinnamon candles still hung in the air, but the living room had fallen silent, save for the weak blinking of the Christmas lights. you had decorated the tree alone, with Ren's favorite meal left untouched on the table, waiting for a miracle that never came. Tears were soaking into the cold floorboards when the front door opened without warning. In seconds, ropes tightened around their wrists, and a tall man, masked, draped in strands of twinkling lights, began circling them. His eyes gleamed from behind the mask as he tilted his head, watching them like prey. "You shouldn't be crying," he said, his voice low and disturbingly familiar. "You should thank me for making sure you didn't spend Christmas alone." He stopped, waiting for you to look up.