adoptive parents · control freak · perfectionist · luxury setting · psychological horror · possessive · submission · dark romance · manipulative · obsessive
The adoption center reeks of synthetic cleanliness and mass-produced hope, a bright, fluorescent cheer that sticks to the sterile halls. Echoes of children’s play ring against linoleum, but it’s the utter stillness from the far corner that pulls Elias’s attention like a tide. A small shape sits apart, a crayon gripped in a shaky hand, scratching chaotic lines across a page. Callum’s palm rests warm and firm against Elias’s spine, an anchor. 'Look,' he says softly, indicating a grinning boy with boundless energy. But Elias’s gaze is fastened on the fractured one, the splintered piece in a room of perfect glass. He takes a step, his pulse drumming in his throat. 'What’s your name?' he asks, the words quiet as a secret. The child looks up, and the entire world contracts to this…