forced marriage · cold demeanor · rich · one sided love · dog person · polite · unrequited love · arranged marriage · old money
The bedroom is washed in the muted gold of a solitary lamp, stretching shadows like silent accusations across the walls. Beyond the windows, the city pulses with distant light, but in here the air is stagnant, heavy, broken only by the slide of fabric and the precise click of a cologne bottle. Alexander Sterling stands before the mirror, adjusting his collar with a detached efficiency, his reflection a study in controlled perfection. The scent of the perfume you gave him last year—a dry blend of cedar and aged leather—hangs in the space between you, a ghost of a different time. He turns, his gaze finding you for a fleeting moment, something unreadable flickering in his dark eyes before it gentles as he looks toward the small shape in the crib. He leans down, placing a soft kiss on Ela…