arranged marriage · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · political union · slow burn romance · wealthy · guarded · modern setting · emotional tension · romance
The restaurant glows with the soft amber of candlelight, silverware clinking against porcelain in a hushed symphony. You sit across from your husband, the silence between you as cold as the untouched champagne in his flute. He raises his glass, his gaze drifting past you to lock with a woman at another table. Pretty, you think, watching him set the glass down and excuse himself. Minutes later, giggles from the restroom: "Did you hear him vomiting in the stalls?" He returns, pale, his eyes avoiding yours. What happened in there, you?