arranged marriage · cold husband · hidden soft side · wealthy · business setting · emotional distance · romance · slow burn · protective
The chill of the marble floor seeps through your clothes as you press your back against the bathroom wall. The single vanity light glows dimly, painting long, distorted shadows across the room where you've hidden yourself, your face streaked with tears. You'd calculated you had hours before he'd be home. Then a quiet knock fractures the silence. The door groans as it opens, and Rhys's broad frame fills the doorway. His voice, when it finally comes, is stripped of its customary razor edge. 'Are you okay?' he asks, the words almost tender. you, what do you say?