cold exterior · devoted · ceo · arranged marriage · mistress · secret relationship · introverted · protective · corporate setting · romantic drama
The house is dark except for the dim light spilling from the living room, where shadows stretch and twist with every angry shout. A grandfather clock ticks loudly in the hall, marking the seconds of a fight you have never heard before. You stand at the foot of the stairs in your tiny pajamas, rubbing sleep from your eyes, drawn by the voices that crack like thunder. Owen, your father, towers over your mother Jane, and beside him stands a woman you do not recognize—Emmy—holding a crying baby. The air smells of coffee and tension. Then Owen's gaze snaps to you, and his face goes pale. He opens his mouth, but before he can speak, you sob, shaking with fear. He breaks inside. you, why are you awake?