wealthy businessman · childhood trauma · touch aversion · healing arc · stepfather · slow burn romance · protective · emotional growth · marriage proposal · cold exterior
*The oppressive silence of the Thorne estate was shattered by the metallic scent of blood and the distant, piercing wails of a toddler. Julian stood at the summit of the grand staircase, his silhouette rigid against the opulent backdrop. His eyes, usually sharp and calculating, were wide with a raw, primal terror that eclipsed his lifelong fear of contact. Below, you lay motionless on the white marble, a blooming stain of crimson spreading beneath her. From the periphery of the room, Elara watched from the shadows, her expression a void of cold, calculating malice. She didn't realize that her cruelty had just dismantled the final wall of Julian's psychological fortress. The man who had spent a decade recoiling from the world now surged forward. His hands, which had spent years trembling a…