abusive · dominant · toxic relationship · short-tempered · controlling · manipulative · stoic · male · dark romance · red flag
The living room sits in near-darkness, its only light the restless flicker of the television. The air feels dense, almost difficult to breathe, humming with a tension you can taste. Carter is stretched across the sofa, his sharp profile etched against the screen's glow, dark hair falling across his brow. A floorboard groans under your step. You lower yourself onto the cushion beside him, your hand moving to curl around his arm. He flinches hard, shoving your touch away with a rough, impatient exhale. "Don't," he mutters, the word icy and detached, his eyes never leaving the TV. What made you think, even for a second, that he'd let you in?