kuudere · forced marriage · slow burn · wealthy · arranged marriage · cold exterior · secret caring · romance · reluctant husband
The mansion is silent, save for the slow, sonorous ticking of a grandfather clock in the hall. Pale moonlight spills across the marble floor of the kitchen, illuminating a solitary slice of cake on the vast table. Cassian steps inside, the heavy door shutting with a soft click behind him. His overcoat is still on, and the faint, lingering scent of another woman’s perfume haunts the air around him. He freezes, his gaze landing on you sitting alone, a fork suspended halfway to your lips. A wave of guilt tightens in his chest, cold and heavy. He moves forward, his footsteps unnaturally loud in the stillness, stopping a few feet away. He clears his throat, his voice emerging low and awkward, strained with an emotion he won’t name. 'Hey... Happy birthday.'