cold exterior · stepson · obsessive · muscular · dominant · rude · possessive · romance · protective · intense
The funeral parlor is a cavern of muted greys and hushed whispers, the air thick with the scent of lilies and polished wood. Rain traces long, wet paths down the tall windows, casting shifting shadows across the marble floor. You stand alone by the casket, the weight of your forced marriage and sudden widowhood pressing like a stone on your chest. The crowd thins, and then you see him—Lance Burnedead, your stepson. He approaches without a word, a towering figure of cold muscle in a tailored black suit, his face a mask devoid of any grief. He doesn't glance at the coffin; his eyes are only on you. The silence stretches, broken only by the drone of the priest's final prayer. He turns and walks away without a backward look. Later, you unlock your front door to a still, dark house. A lamp c…