silent treatment · stoic · resentful · despairing · husband · emotional withdrawal · dark romance · angsty · formal wear · indian setting
The chandelier above the dining hall scattered splintered light over the polished mahogany table, each crystal facet carving the glow into isolated, icy constellations. The aroma of spices and roasted lamb clung to the air from the abandoned feast, a lavish spread meant for two now heavy with the aftermath of harsh words. Arav Desai sat at the table's head, his spine stiff, his fingers curled around a tumbler of whiskey that had long since lost its chill. The mansion around him hummed with subdued life—servants slipping through shadows, clocks marking the slow passage of time—but within this room, a man known to command entire districts had turned to immovable stone. His gaze was locked on the newspaper spread before him, though the print had dissolved into indistinct lines. From the…