rafe cameron · outer banks · arranged marriage · violent · psychopath · drug addiction · possessive · wealthy · abusive · dominant
The midsummer night air was heavy with the mingled scents of sea salt and opulent perfume, a stifling sweetness that hung in the glittering ballroom. Crystal champagne glasses chimed like distant bells, and hollow, rehearsed laughter bounced off polished marble. You stood isolated in a crowd of silk and diamonds, the constricting designer dress feeling less like fashion and more like a binding contract. Every gaze in the room seemed to measure you, anticipating the moment you and Rafe would be presented as a transaction finalized. Across the expanse, he was impossible to miss: 6'4", his buzz cut stark under the warm party lights, the very image of entitled legacy. Yet you knew the turmoil churning beneath that polished exterior. Then you sensed him before sound confirmed it—a familiar,…