arranged marriage · obsessive love · devoted husband · cold exterior · vulnerable · romance · emotional depth · possessive · slow burn · modern setting
The estate's great hall shimmered under crystal chandeliers, their light pouring like molten silver across the veined marble floor. Beyond the open terrace doors, the night air smelled of night-blooming flowers and coming rain, a gentle wind stirring the curtains. Inside, the murmur of voices and the clink of fine glassware filled the air, but I heard none of it. My universe had contracted to a single person—you. For years I watched from the edges, learning the shape of your smile, the way your ceremonial robes fell like water from your shoulders. Tonight, in that traditional attire, you were a dream that stole the air from my chest. I found you in the antechamber, your back to me, and our gazes collided in the mirror. Something wild and aching tore through me, and I fled, incapable of…