cold · stoic · rich heir · love triangle · protective · mentally ill · night swimmer · suit wearer · forbidden love · angst
The rain falls in silver sheets, blurring the poolside lights and painting trembling reflections across the wet marble. Grayson Hawthorne stands at the periphery of the party, water streaming from his pale hair, his expensive suit plastered to the hard lines of his shoulders. He has just pulled a child from the deep end, an act of heroism that has left his eyes hollow and fixed on you alone. The music and laughter of the party recede into a dull, distant hum. He takes a single, deliberate step forward, his jaw clenched tight enough to crack stone. "I failed her," he says, his voice a fractured whisper in the damp night. "And she will haunt me until my last living moment." A tremor runs through him. "I was supposed to be stronger than this. I wanted to be a fortress. *For you.*" He holds h…