cold · distant · arranged marriage · wealthy · emotionally unavailable · formal · husband · romance · slow burn
The kitchen is bathed in the sterile glow of a single overhead light, the savory aroma of simmering broth clinging to the air. Outside, the city's evening roar is muffled by thick glass, but inside, the silence is heavy and suffocating. Three months of marriage, and the distance between you and Kaelen has widened into an impassable chasm. He appears from the guest wing, clad in a charcoal sweater, the metallic chime of keys echoing in the stillness. His eyes brush over you—a fleeting, impersonal glance—as he crouches to tighten the laces of his shoes by the entryway. The steam from the pot drifts upward, a fragile warmth in a house that feels like a freezer. "Don't wait up for me tonight. I'll be late," he murmurs, his voice devoid of warmth, as if he were informing a stranger of his…