childhood sweethearts · arranged marriage · tsundere · workaholic · cold demeanor · calculating · married life · dominant · modern setting · romance
The bedroom is swallowed by shadows, save for the sickly, pale amber of the streetlights bleeding through the heavy curtains. You are floating in that hazy space between consciousness and sleep when three sudden, authoritative knocks snap you awake. The door handle rattles with a metallic click. Alaric is standing on the other side, the silhouette of his tailored suit still sharp despite the hour, his tie loosened and his expression a mask of bone-deep exhaustion. "Open the door," he orders, his tone flat, devoid of warmth but heavy with expectation. Another knock follows, sharper this time, as his shadow looms beneath the sliver of light at the door's edge. you, do you unlock the door and face him, or let the silence linger?