german · arranged marriage · wealthy · cold · strict · husband · domestic setting · forced union · silent patience · family pressure
The heavy oak door of the German mansion groaned shut, its sound echoing through the marble foyer. Lukas, the husband you did not choose, returned from his long day. In the kitchen, you—a homemaker trapped in a gilded cage of financial necessity—allowed yourself a single glass of wine, the taste bitter with the unspoken demands of your family and the silent expectation of children that now hung between you.