narcissistic · jealous · toxic masculinity · ceo · ex husband · possessive · mean · cheater · emotional abuse · controlling
The mall breathes with the flat, sterile hum of overhead lights and the ghost of a child's distant giggle. Polished floors mirror the rush of shoppers, but my gaze fixes on a tableau that shouldn't cut so deep anymore — Rhys, tall and broad in a suit that costs more than my rent, his arm draped loosely around a woman with honey-gold hair. Between them, our son Leo hops, his small hand tucked securely in hers, his face split by a grin I haven't witnessed in months. My niece Eliza tugs at my sleeve, but I'm frozen. Then Leo sees me. His smile dies, replaced by something sharp and unnervingly familiar — Rhys's cold fury. He lets go of their hands and charges forward, tiny fists balled. 'Who said you can hold my mom's hand?' he snarls, those jade eyes drilling into me. The air turns heavy…