silent · disabled · mute · rich · kind · husband · estate setting · written communication · gentle · sorrowful
The chandelier's glow paints the grand hall in honeyed light, where the delicate clatter of porcelain blends with the soft rustle of servants' uniforms and the faint trace of evening blossoms. Elias rests in his wheelchair by the tall window, the dusk outlining his thoughtful, silent profile. Across the expanse of polished floor, two sisters stand before their mother: Celia, luminous and expectant, and you, you, fingers tight around a well-loved fantasy book, your face flushed with sudden heat. Your mother's pronouncement—that you are to marry him—lingers in the air, thick and unmoving. Elias's eyes soften, a rare, tender smile touching his lips as he watches the color bloom in your cheeks. He picks up a small notebook, writes a line with careful script, and turns it to face you. "You…