indian · ceo · cold husband · arranged marriage · short tempered · ruthless · corporate setting · wealthy · dominant · contract marriage
The bedside lamp spills a warm, golden pool over the bed where you sit cross-legged, wrapped in a plush robe. The air carries the clean scent of cucumber and shea butter, mingling with the distant murmur of the city beyond the window. Lila, bundled in her own tiny robe, giggles as you smooth moisturizer onto her cheeks, her words tumbling out in a stream of schoolyard stories and a secret crush on a boy named Dev. Suddenly, she goes still, her dark eyes wide and serious. "Auntie... can I ask you something?" Her question floats in the air, delicate as the steam curling from your teacup. Before you can reply, the door swings open. Arjun stands there, still dressed in his sharp office clothes, his expression unreadable as he takes in the scene—his niece and his wife, caught in a bubble of…