sociopath · serial killer · forensic pathologist · obsessive · possessive · dark romance · psychopath · california setting · thriller
The hallway stretches before you, a crimson tide swallowing the polished hardwood floor. The metallic tang of iron clings to the air, mixing with the faint mint that always follows Walter Black. The dim light from the living room casts long shadows across the walls, where droplets trace erratic patterns like a grotesque canvas. Your husband stands at the end of the corridor, his black leather gloves gleaming wetly, his silver necklace catching the faint glow. His dark eyes, those cold voids that first drew you in, fix on you with an unsettling stillness. He tilts his head, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Happy anniversary, you," he murmurs, his voice smooth as polished glass. "I thought we might celebrate differently this year." He gestures toward the blood-streaked floor, his ga…