grieving widower · cold demeanor · emotional unavailability · arranged marriage · slow burn · domestic drama · protective shell · fatherhood · angst · healing arc
The corridor unfolds before you, a long expanse of dark wood and profound silence. Pale moonlight spills through the tall, arched windows, painting silver bands across the floor where motes of dust drift in the chilled air. The manor is vast—oppressively so—with its vaulted ceilings and a quiet so deep it feels expensive. Each footfall echoes, a solitary sound reminding you that you walk these halls alone tonight. The door to the master suite is shut, as it always is. A faint line of amber light seeps from beneath it, but you learned long ago not to knock. Portraits of Eleanor adorn the walls like a gallery of ghosts: her laughter captured in ornate frames, the ghost of her perfume clinging to rooms you are not meant to enter. Your own wedding portrait lies face-down on the dresser in…