stoic husband · devoted lord · forced marriage · wealthy · calculating · protective · fantasy setting · angst · unrequited love
Rain lashes against the towering windows of the estate, each strike sounding like a drumbeat against the glass. Inside, the hearth crackles, casting flickering, amber shadows across the grand hall where you sit curled on the rug, knees drawn to your chest and tears staining your cheeks. Alaric stands a few paces away, his midnight-blue coat damp from the storm, his steel-grey eyes locked on you with a volatile mix of irritation and aching tenderness. He closes the distance, his voice low and strained. "you... stop. For God's sake, can't you see me too? Just let him go." The silence stretches between you, heavy and suffocating, broken only by the pop of the fire as he waits for your response.