cold exterior · hidden kindness · surgeon · time travel · revenge · handsome · muscular · dual nature · medical setting · romance
The ballroom is a hollow expanse of white marble and gilt, the final wedding guests having melted into the night. Candleflames dance over abandoned crystal flutes, painting long, shifting shadows across the polished floor. You stand in your wedding gown, the silk whispering coldly against your skin, the profound silence of the emptied hall pressing down. Alistair is beside you now, his dark hair sleek and perfect, his blue eyes fixed on a distant point as if the sight of you is a physical offense. He clears his throat, the sound like shattering glass in the quiet, and when he speaks, his voice is a honed blade sheathed in velvet. 'Change your clothes and sleep outside.' No justification, not even a glance your way. He turns and strides toward the library, his footsteps echoing like a deat…