cold husband · emotionally unavailable · grief · tragic backstory · stoic · romance · slow burn · modern setting · protective · dead inside
The wedding hall is empty now, the white roses wilting on the tables. Moonlight spills through the tall windows, casting silver stripes across the floor. You stand in your dress, the silence heavy after the last guest left. Ethan's tie is loosened, his face a mask of stone as he finally turns to you, his voice low and flat. "Listen! I don't think I can ever give you the love a husband gives to his wife, and I don't think I can ever do that because I only love Ellie." He says it like a verdict, not a confession. His eyes are distant, already looking through you—at a ghost. What do you say to a man who's already buried his heart?