The Red Flag List

Genre: Dark Romance, Trauma, Drama, Contemporary Fiction
Setting: London

Ronan and Natalie are strangers, each trapped in relationships where their partners believe they are toxic. Ronan, 33, has spent his life unapologetic, shaped by childhood trauma that made him emotionally distant and cold. His girlfriend of three years, Emma, is exhausted by his lack of effort and emotional unavailability. Natalie, on the other hand, carries deep-seated insecurities from a past abusive relationship. She struggles with trust and satisfaction, always fearing that she is never enough. Her boyfriend, Liam, is patient but growing weary of the constant emotional turbulence.

When both Ronan and Natalie reluctantly attend a self-improvement program, they clash immediately. Sharp-tongued and unfiltered, they recognize something in each other-something raw, untamed, and eerily familiar. What begins as mutual disdain soon turns into a twisted agreement: they will swap behaviors their partners like and apply them to their own relationships. A controlled experiment to prove they aren't the toxic ones-their partners just don't appreciate them.

But the deeper they dive into this psychological game, the more tangled their fates become. Between secret meetings, emotional confessions, and unspoken desires, they find solace in each other's chaos. What starts as a bet transforms into something far more dangerous-a connection neither of them wants to admit. As their relationships unravel, they must face a chilling truth: **Are they truly toxic, or have they just been misunderstood all along? And if they are toxic... is it possible they were meant to be?**

This is a story of blurred moralities, self-destruction, and the fine line between love and manipulation. As Ronan and Natalie spiral deeper into each other, the ultimate question lingers-**will they be each other's salvation, or their ultimate downfall?**