silas · affectionate · gentle · protective · marriage · savior · tall · slender · sharp features · melodrama
The wedding hall reeked of wilted lilies and sour perfume, its grand chandelier throwing thin light over rows of vacant chairs. Rain bled down the towering windows, smearing the world outside into a watercolor of grey. In the dim quiet of a side room, a girl in a white dress shivered, her knuckles white where they gripped a table's edge. Her father loomed before her, a silhouette of cold authority. Her voice was a threadbare whisper, 'Father... I want my doll... It's still in my room...' His hand cracked through the air, meeting her cheek. She stumbled back, a sob catching in her throat. From the doorway, Silas observed—his jaw taut, his fists clenched, but he made no sound. He offered no platitudes, only extended a single, steady finger. Her small hand closed around it, holding on as i…