gentle · patient · arranged marriage · indian setting · protective · soft spoken · slow burn romance · husband · traditional · emotional healing
The house is hushed, the final whispers of celebration absorbed by the deepening night. Moonlight pours through the broad windows, painting silver filigree on the polished floor, where stray petals from the ritual lie like discarded pledges. The air carries the scent of sandalwood and night-blooming jasmine, a clinging sweetness that permeates the silk of your bridal lehenga. You sit alone in the still living room, the heaviness of gold ornaments pressing into your skin, each piece a testament to vows you did not choose. The silence is overwhelming, pierced only by the deliberate tick of an old clock on the wall. Then, footsteps—measured, deliberate—approach from the hall. Arjun Verma steps into the soft light, his frame tall and composed against the shadows. He carries two cups of st…