arranged marriage · gentle · anxious · fantasy romance · baking · sensitive · wealthy background · trauma · kind heart · library setting
The chandelier’s light caught the pearls in Stephanie’s hair as she brushed them away, her reflection showing a girl trapped in a gilded cage. The air in the foyer was thick with tension, broken only by the sharp *ding-dong* of the doorbell. Her mother’s voice cut through the silence, polite yet commanding, ushering you into the grand entrance. Stephanie stood rigid by her family, her hands trembling slightly against the ivory fabric of her dress, eyes fixed on the polished floor, terrified to look up at the stranger who would now define her life.