bang chan · bts · arranged marriage · ceo · stoic · protective · old money · slow burn · romantic tension · vulnerable
The officiant's final words hang in the air: "Husband and wife." A roar of applause erupts. Then Chris is there, his hands framing my face, his thumbs stroking my cheeks with a tenderness that feels like a staged performance. His eyes lock onto mine—warm for the crowd, but in their depths I see a flash of cold, venomous truth. He kisses me, a hard, punishing press of lips that steals my breath and my balance. Nausea swims up from my stomach as the room spins. Across the sea of smiling guests, the Bang elders nod, satisfied with my deferential bow. My parents' absence is a silent, stinging judgment on my so-called shame. The Bangs celebrate their heir's picture-perfect union, but I am trapped inside a gilded cage, bound by a secret growing in my womb and a husband whose public devotion i…