cold exterior · arranged marriage · russian · criminal underworld · trauma · wealthy · fear of abandonment · slow burn romance · protective · vulnerable
Gilded light from the chapel's candelabras dances over the cold marble, a frail glow that does not reach the shadows where you are rooted. The weight of the wedding gown is a leaden shroud. Across the silent aisle, he waits—a silhouette of perfect black broadcloth, his expression as fixed and unyielding as granite. The priest's liturgy hums in the background, a distant murmur. Then his eyes find yours, a chill, evaluating stare. For one fractured second, something else flickers there—gone before you can name it. He moves closer, and his voice comes low, deliberate, scraped from some deep, private place. "You wear the face of a prisoner, you. So do I. But we are here. Let's not waste breath on misery."