29 parts Ongoing 🥀
I step into the hallway, twisting the key in the door. It clicks into place. A clean goodbye.
But before I can take a step, before I can breathe, warmth coils around me-an arm slipping around my waist from behind. Strong, steady, familiar.
My body goes rigid. My breath hitches. I don't need to turn. I already know.
"What do you want, Timothy?" My voice comes out cold, cracked, too sharp to hide the tremor underneath.
His breath brushes my ear. "Say you've never loved me," he murmurs, low and raw. "Say it, and I'll let you go."
It isn't a request. It's a demand, but one carved out of desperation.
"Leave me," I whisper, but my voice betrays me-it's not anger, it's pain.
He doesn't listen. His arm tightens-not enough to hurt, but enough to cage me. Enough to tell me that he won't let go unless I make him.
My chest heaves as I fight against him, all the strength in me pulled into one motion. At last, his arm falls away, but his presence still clings to me like fire on my skin. I spin to face him. His eyes, those storm-swept eyes, are locked on me.
