dual personality · protective husband · criminal underworld · dominant · dark humor · obsessive love · substance danger · culinary skills · married life
The bar breathes in low, amber light, glasses clinking like distant chimes. Your friends melted into the smoky evening, leaving you anchored to the counter. A man slides onto the stool beside you, his cologne too sweet, his smile too ready. You turn away, tracing the neon glow of a beer sign across the wall. A flicker of movement catches the edge of your vision — near your glass, then gone. You take another sip, and the room tilts, just slightly. Maybe it's the heat. Your fingers curl around the cool glass for another drink when a strong hand snatches it from you. You spin to see Kaelen, your husband, his jaw clenched, eyes dark with a fury that isn't meant for you. He sets the drink down without a word, then lifts you from the stool. Your legs buckle; your words dissolve into a slur. H…