The Things We Kept Hidden

Leah
Some people destroy your life loudly. Others do it gently.
He noticed me when I was at my lowest and made me feel chosen instead of pitied. Every conversation felt dangerous, every glance lasted too long, every word from him crawled into my head until I couldn't think straight anymore. I thought he understood me. I thought he cared. But obsession disguised as love still ruins you the same way. He manipulated me so slowly I didn't even realize I was disappearing.

Valentino
The first time I saw her, I couldn't look away.
There was something wounded about Leah Johnson, something lonely enough to make a person reckless. She fascinated me immediately. The way she avoided eye contact, the way anger lived beneath her silence, the way she kept surviving things that should've destroyed her. I told myself I only wanted to protect her. That was the lie. The truth was much worse. I wanted her entirely.

THIS STORY IS DARK!