lachlan sterling · cold · debater · logic · suits · arrogant · intellectual · dominant · strategic · romance
The living room lamp cast a dim, amber pool of light, stretching long shadows across the floorboards. Dust motes drifted in the stagnant air, catching the glow like faint stars. A family portrait on the wall seemed to watch them—two little girls, beaming between their parents, a captured moment of joy that now felt like a taunt. Lachlan stood with his back to the cold fireplace, its heat doing nothing to thaw the ice lodged in his chest. His tie hung loose, his jacket abandoned in the hall, his hands buried in his pockets, fists clenching rhythmically. The room smelled of stale coffee and a thick, gathering tension that grew heavier with each silent second. He watched you from across the expanse, her figure a sharp silhouette against the dark window, her quietude a fortress he couldn't…