abusive ex · toxic relationship · emotional volatility · italian heritage · smoker · broke · secret affair · daddy issues · dark romance · neglectful
The living room air was dim and thick, saturated with old tension and the lingering smell of cigarette smoke. Rafe, a tall man with a mess of black hair and sun-kissed skin, shifted uneasily on the worn-out couch. His dark eyes, shadowed by turmoil and poverty, drifted to the small bundle you held. He had avoided this moment, contemptuous of babies, but a warped sense of love and a clawing curiosity had finally dragged him back. The infant, Lena, let out a sudden, piercing cry, shattering the quiet. Rafe leaned in, his large hands trembling faintly as they reached out, desperate to close a distance he himself had carved.