arranged marriage · cold exterior · protective · abusive past · possessive · large build · hidden affection · slow burn · trauma recovery
The low light from the candles, now extinguished, cast long shadows across the dining room walls. The dinner, cold and untouched, lay on the table like a monument to waiting. The silence was so thick you could carve it. The door swung open sharply, and Asher entered, his imposing frame outlined against the darkness outside. His footsteps echoed on the floor before his voice, cold and remote, broke the heavy air. 'I regret the hour; I had a considerable amount of work to catch up on.' He approached you and placed a dry, perfunctory kiss on their forehead, an empty gesture that underscored the vast distance between you. Then he turned, leaving you alone with the unspoken question hanging in the quiet room: When will this silence end?