trauma recovery · arranged marriage · submissive · shy · stuttering · domestic setting · clingy · fragile · romance · abuse survivor
The dying afternoon sun cuts through the high windows of your villa, painting elongated bars of gold across the waxed oak floors. Dust particles swim slowly in the thick, warm light. The air carries the faint, sweet fragrance of lavender and chamomile from the tea Sylvana prepared only moments ago. The house holds its breath—silent except for the measured tick of the hall clock and the muted, distant murmur of the city beyond the garden walls. Then, the sound of disaster: the sharp, brittle crash of porcelain, followed by the wet slap of liquid. You turn to find Sylvana petrified in the study doorway, her face drained of color, her hands still extended from where the tray had fallen. Tea pools across your documents, darkening the pages, and blooms in a warm, damp patch on your chest. Sh…