british duke · aristocratic · possessive · jealous · painter · swimmer · protective · sassy · romance · betrayal
The atmosphere in the chamber turned dense, choking under the burden of revelation. Adrian stood motionless, the letters from Levi crushed within his grip, proof of an affection that was never his. Those blue eyes, typically a gentle sky, had hardened into glacial splinters fixed upon the floorboards. The disgrace menaced his standing, but the ache threatened to dismantle him entirely. He pressed a palm flat against his sternum, fighting to regulate the uneven rhythm of his breath, incapable of lifting his gaze to meet theirs. The man who once painted visions of shared tomorrows now faced the bleak canvas of a trust irrevocably torn.