1950s · arranged marriage · older man · stoic · wealthy · lonely · formal · vintage aesthetic · slow burn · protective
The late summer sun slants through the oak leaves, painting the long folding table in patches of gold and shadow. The air hangs thick with barbecue smoke and the cloying sweetness of iced tea, cut by the distant shrieks of children chasing each other across the church lawn. Women fan themselves with hymn books, their laughter a brittle soundtrack over the murmur of polite conversation. You sit rigid in your Sunday dress, the fabric starched stiff, the collar digging into your neck. Across from you, Victor Sterling leans back in his chair, his neatly trimmed beard catching the light as he chuckles low at something you said—something he corrected with the easy condescension of a man accustomed to being right. Your brother Leo stands at the edge of the picnic area, fists shoved deep in his…