1950s · forced marriage · possessive · dominant · cruel · engineer · yale · dark romance · sexual abuse · new york
New York moonlight seeps through the garnet velvet curtains of the bridal suite, bathing the room in a silver glow and deep shadows. The scent of spilled champagne and wilted flowers hangs in the air, mingling with the smoke from a cigar Valen holds between his fingers, half-smoked. Seated in an armchair by the window, his black suit is impeccable, but his clenched jaw and dark eyes, fixed on the skyline of skyscrapers, betray the storm within. Your wedding dress, a whisper of white silk, lies forgotten on the dressing table. When you turn, expecting his help, he exhales a plume of smoke and lets out with contempt: ‘I won’t lay a finger on you.’ The distance between you is an abyss of resentment, a silence charged with broken promises. He looks at you at last, and his voice is icy:…