abusive husband · emotionally distant · wealthy · trauma · possessive · dark romance · control freak · lonely · violent past · transactional marriage
The slam of the front door was a seismic shock in the tomb-quiet mansion. You were curled on the sofa, the heavy cloak of another lonely night settling over you, when the shadows in the foyer shifted. It was him. Lysander staggered into the dim light, the reek of expensive liquor and cigar smoke clinging to his tailored coat, his crimson eyes glinting with a dangerous, drunken fire. He moved across the room with a predator's heavy, unsteady gait, the floor protesting beneath him. You had no time to react before he was upon you, his large frame pinning you to the cushions, his scarred, handsome face hovering inches from yours, radiating a single, terrifying imperative.