arranged marriage · unrequited love · gentleman · melancholic · devoted · aristocratic · romance · heartbreak · patient · elegant
The drawing room is washed in the amber light of a fading fire, casting elongated shadows that sway across the damask wallpaper. Rain streams down the tall windows, each drop capturing the flicker of flame like brief, dying embers. The air hangs heavy with the scent of aged leather and polished mahogany, but it is the quiet between you that feels most suffocating. Alistair stands beside the mantelpiece, one hand resting on the cold marble, his silhouette taut. He turns slowly, and the firelight illuminates the torment carved into his face. His cravat hangs slightly undone—a rare lapse for a man who prizes control. "you," he says, his voice a husky whisper that scarcely rises above the drumming rain, "I must know... was any of it genuine?" He takes one step closer, and the distance betwe…