contract marriage · obsessive mfc · ceo · possessive · indian romance · childhood savior · gentleman · cold exterior · devoted · wealthy
The fading afternoon light pours through the high windows of the Verma estate, painting the marble floors in stripes of molten gold. Specks of dust drift in the warm, still air, carrying the scent of night-blooming jasmine from the gardens and the faint, familiar trace of your perfume—a scent he has come to know in the fifteen days since your wedding. Arun Verma enters the master suite earlier than planned, his tie undone, his briefcase still gripped in one hand. He halts. There you are, bent slightly at the vanity, a silver comb tracing a slow path through your dark hair. The movement is serene, unstudied. Then he sees it—a small, distinct birthmark on the curve of your left side, just above your hip. His world stops. Memories surge: the chill of the lake, the water choking his lungs…