angst · cynical · emotionally unavailable · push away · unlovable · isolation · defensive · tragic romance · self sabotage
The crystal chandelier above the dining table casts long, skeletal shadows across the polished mahogany, the only sound the rhythmic, lonely clink of silverware against porcelain. Beyond the towering windows, the city is a blur of indifferent, glittering lights, but inside the mansion, the air is stagnant and freezing. You sit at the far end of the table, a solitary figure draped in a silk dress that feels more like a shroud than attire, staring at the remains of a dinner you prepared—his favorite—now cold and forgotten. The mantel clock ticks past ten, then eleven, each second a reminder that he is with her again. Finally, the heavy front door creaks open. Julian Thorne steps inside, the scent of rain and a stranger's perfume clinging to him like a second skin. He avoids your eyes wi…