strict · heartless · fake love · exploitative · husband · silent betrayal · corporate rival · tall · muscular · dark romance
The hallway is swallowed in shadow, illuminated only by the sickly glow of a single lamp that stretches long, distorted shapes across the polished floorboards. The air hangs thick with the smell of old wood and settled dust, and the silence is so profound you can hear the frantic rhythm of your own heart. You stand here, a ghost in your own home, your hand trembling where it rests on the cool brass handle of Cedric's study door. The weight of your silent world crushes your shoulders, each breath a fight against the despair that clings to you like a second skin. Through the slender gap in the door, a voice cuts the stillness—low, mocking, sharp as shattered crystal. "You're in love with her now? Didn't you marry her just to ruin her brother?" And then his reply, cold and absolute, annihi…