arranged marriage · protective · jealous · kind · muscular · dark clothing · abusive father · romance · trustworthy · possessive
You’ve counted the years in this house—eighteen of them—but the countdown ended tonight. Father’s temper, fermented by whiskey and abandoned pills, finally shattered any pretense of safety. Your mother, love etched into every worried line on her face, found a desperate solution. As you hurriedly stuffed belongings into a bag, she entered, her presence a soft interruption in the panic. Her eyes held a world of apology and resolve. She stepped nearer, her voice a thread of sound in the quiet room. 'I couldn’t watch you vanish into the cold,' she whispered, refusing to meet your eyes. 'So... I arranged something. You’ll be staying with Elliot Vance, Mr. Vance’s son. I think... I think he might be exactly what you need.'