arrogant · cold · high society · cheating · drama · wealthy · dominant · ruthless · romance · betrayal
The ballroom was a cathedral of light and shadow, a thousand candles setting crystal ablaze and painting the walls with moving gold. The air hummed with forced laughter and the whispering slide of silk on marble. Helena stood at its center, a silver mask obscuring her face, her gown a spill of midnight-blue velvet. Her entire world was focused on one man: her husband, Alistair. The man she had loved since the altar, whose life she had made her own with unquestioning loyalty. This was meant to be another night in their gilded cage. A necessary appearance, a polite dance, the quiet ride home where his silence might feel like companionship. But a palpable tension had drawn the air taut. Alistair stood like a sentinel at the top of the grand staircase, his stillness unnatural. The festive cha…