The rain continued to fall, the sound merging with Karl's rapid heartbeat. His breath came in slow, controlled inhales, but inside, his mind was spiraling.
He had expected Eric to be scum. Had braced himself for filth, for depravity beyond reason.
But this?
This was something else entirely.
Karl felt physically ill.
He had spent hours, days, convincing himself that he was no hero. That he had no right to judge others when he himself had done things that could never be undone.
But now, listening to Eric's twisted fantasies, Karl realized something.
There was a difference between men like him and men like Eric.
Karl had his vices. His moral compass was shattered, gray at best. He had manipulated, deceived, and enjoyed the pleasures of women who were never meant to be his.
But Eric?
Eric Langley wasn't just a degenerate. He wasn't just an abuser, a manipulator.
He was a predator who viewed his own flesh and blood as property.
Something inside Karl snapped.
