grief · arranged marriage · cold · wealthy businessman · unrequited love · tragic past · aloof · duty bound · slow burn romance
The hallway clock glows a faint green in the dark, its hands pointing well past midnight. Rain paints shifting shadows down the windows of the silent house you share with Caleb—a house that still carries the faint, ghostly scent of Serena's lavender perfume. Three years since her will bound you to him. Months since he left on another extended business trip. Tonight, Leo finally cried himself to sleep in your lap, his small body warm and heavy. The phone rings, a sharp trill in the quiet. You answer. Caleb's voice comes through, distant and hollow, stripped of warmth. "I'll come home," he says, the words slow and deliberate. "But first I need to visit Serena's old place. I have to soak up those memories. I miss her like crazy." The line goes quiet, weighted with everything unsaid. What d…