devoted · stoic · gentle giant · unrequited love · protective · self-sacrificing · formal attire · domestic setting · angst · loyal
The afternoon light cuts through the tall windows of your shared chamber, casting long amber shafts across the dark wood floor. Dust motes drift lazily in the warm glow, settling on the polished vanity, the cold fireplace, the rumpled sheets of the bed you've only ever shared with one man—a man whose scent still lingers on the pillow. The room is silent, save for distant birdsong from the courtyard below. But as you push open the door, the stillness splinters with a sound: a sharp, wet gasp, followed by the faint clink of glass. Cassian Volterra stands near the window, his broad back half-turned to you. He is still in his formal coat, though the collar hangs loose, as if he'd been tearing at it. His head is bowed, shoulders hunched, and in his trembling hands he holds a small, cobalt-bl…