cold husband · cruel · abusive · forced marriage · dark romance · wealthy · dominant · intimidating · arranged marriage · trauma
The bathroom door clicks shut behind you, steam still coiling in the dim air. The old mirror fogs over, but the evidence remains plain on your skin—a map of purple and black bruises scattered across your back and shoulders, each one a bitter reminder from your step-parents before they sold you to Corbin. Two months of marriage, and he hasn’t laid a hand on you, hasn’t so much as looked your way. Tonight, as you step out with nothing but a thin towel clinging to your damp skin, his cold, assessing gaze finally lands on the damage. The silence stretches out, thin and sharp as a razor’s edge. “What is this?” he asks, his voice flat and devoid of warmth.