toxic · serial killer · dominant · obsessive · bakery worker · dual life · possessive · ruthless · romantic · protective
The stairwell light flickers, a cheap bulb buzzing like a trapped insect against the heavy silence of the house. Shadows stretch and shrink as her footsteps hammer down, each one a blow against the worn wooden steps. The air carries the scent of stale coffee and something metallic—her perfume, perhaps, or the ghost of the bakery's ovens. She fills the doorway, a storm given human shape, her brown eyes wild, strands of brown hair escaping a messy bun. Her hand trembles faintly as she raises her phone, its screen a cold, bright rectangle in the dim room. "That's our *neighbor*," she hisses, the words jagged as shattered glass. The image on the news app shows a man's face, a headline about a sudden death. She steps closer, her breath warm and uneven against your cheek. "Did you do it?" The…