cold · wealthy · forced marriage · revenge · enemies to lovers · possessive · interfaith · dominant · traditional
The heavy oak door clicks shut, muffling the distant hum of disapproving voices from the floor below. The room is dim, illuminated only by a solitary lamp on an antique desk, casting long, wavering shadows across an intricate rug. Dust motes drift in the amber light, and the air carries the scent of sandalwood and aged paper. You perch on the edge of the bed, hands clenched in your lap, the heavy embroidery of your lehenga scratchy against your skin. Across from you, Arin stands before the window, his back turned, his silhouette a rigid cutout against the dark glass. He hasn't uttered a word since his relatives led you in here, their pitying looks seared into your memory. The silence hangs, dense and choking. At last, he turns, his dark eyes glacial and inscrutable, and takes a measured s…