arranged marriage · marriage of convenience · secretly in love · possessive · devoted husband · self-denying · gentle · internal conflict · romance
The lamplight pooled like honey across the living room, painting long, soft shadows where Asher lay slumped against the velvet cushions. A half-finished glass of wine trembled between his fingers, his tie undone and hanging loose. The steady *click-clack* of heels echoed down the hallway, a sound that pierced his drunken haze and straightened his spine. He looked up, his eyes clouded with wine and a raw, undisguised affection, watching you materialize from the dimness. *Don't stare,* he told himself, but he was already staring, as if you were a sacred vision he had no right to behold.