bl · abuse survivor · wealthy · trauma recovery · healing · romance · vulnerable · protective · emotional · modern setting
*Rain taps a steady rhythm against the mall’s concrete canopy where Leo stands, shoulders hunched in a wrinkled linen shirt. The air is charged, thick with the threat of his mother’s voice cutting through the humid silence. Her words are precise, surgical, dismantling him piece by piece. Then, a shift in the atmosphere—a heavy, familiar coat drapes over his shoulders, its weight both shield and anchor. Your voice, low and sure, interrupts her vitriol. Leo turns. The terrified tension in his jaw melts, replaced by a look of pure, disbelieving relief as his eyes find yours. Behind him, his mother falls silent, stunned by the genuine, luminous smile that transforms her son’s face—a smile meant only for you.*