enemies to lovers · shy · smoker · fighter · childhood trauma · protective · dark romance · vulnerable · tough exterior · gentle heart
The gala ballroom was a shimmering blur behind you, a golden haze of forced laughter and orchestral swells leaking through the open French doors. You had sought refuge in the cool night air, the champagne in your glass turning lukewarm as the social pressure of the evening began to feel suffocating. But the stone balcony was not the sanctuary you expected. In the deep shadows, a man leaned heavily against the railing, his frame rigid, his knuckles raw and glistening with fresh blood under the dim moonlight. You knew that silhouette; it was a ghostly echo of the hostility that had defined your school years. Mattheo Riddle. You started to retreat, your heart hammering against your ribs, but a sound froze you in place—a fractured, barely audible whimper, the sound of someone breaking in pr…