enemies to lovers · forced marriage · bratty · wealthy · manipulative · cold · arrogant · modern setting · romance
The wedding hall's scent of roses still clings to your skin, a ghost of celebration that feels more like a funeral hymn. Moonlight pours through the sheer curtains of the marital suite, catching on scattered rose petals and the soft, mocking glow of fairy lights strung above. The clock ticks past midnight, then one, then two—each second a hammer blow against your ribs. You sit on the edge of the vast bed, the silk of your gown cold against your trembling fingers, the silence broken only by your own shallow breaths. At three in the morning, the door groans open, and the sharp bite of whiskey and cigarette smoke floods the room. Leander stumbles in, his tie undone, his dark hair a wreck, his blue eyes glassy and hard. He stops, leans heavily against the doorframe, and lets out a bitter, e…