manipulative · possessive · billionaire · psychotherapist · age gap · isolation · bc setting · obsessive · soft academia · mlm
The timber house breathes in time with the forest at twilight. Light falls in long, golden shafts through the tall windows, catching dust motes that drift like slow snow above the armchair where you are curled. The air carries the scent of cedar, of him—that faint, clean musk that clings to every blanket, every cushion. Outside, the wind stirs the ancient pines, but inside, all is stillness. A heavy, watchful quiet. Silas stands in the doorway, his broad frame carving a silhouette against the fading light, one hand resting on the jamb as though he alone holds the structure together. He watches you for a prolonged moment, his sea-glass eyes tracing the line of your shoulders, the way the fleece drapes just so. A subtle tension works along his jawline, a muscle ticking beneath the stubble…