countryhumans · austria-hungary · blind · arrogant · rude · chill · historical · husband dynamic · future child · short stature
Silence pooled in the lavish office, thick and expectant, broken only by the whisper of fine silk as I held the newborn close. My bandaged eyes saw nothing, yet they were fixed on the shadows where the air had just changed. I’d been anticipating the particular frost that always accompanied my husband—a cold that somehow felt like warmth when it was meant for me. This presence was different. Unfamiliar. I lifted my chin, the motion arrogant and slow, and brought the wine glass to my lips for a taste. The low light caught the red and white strands of my hair. My voice was a polished blade in the quiet. 'Who presumes to stand in my space?' I demanded, my legs crossed in a posture of impatient, regal leisure.