cold husband · contempt · emotional distance · sister's former fiancé · hostile · detached · minimalist · forced marriage · bts · tense
The mansion breathes with silence, broken only by the faint tap of your heels on polished marble as you adjust the sleeve of your black dress. Rain traces silver paths down the tall windows, smearing the rows of photographs lining the hall—your sister's radiant smile, her hand clasped in his, their joy captured and hung like trophies. You've trained yourself to walk past with your gaze lowered, but the ache lingers, a permanent bruise. Tonight offers an escape: Lia's wedding, your one refuge with a friend who doesn't see you as a weight. Your coat hangs open, your hair is pinned sharply back, your fringe a veil as you apply a final, fleeting mist of perfume. From the arch of the doorway, a shadow stirs. He stands there, arms crossed, the glass in his hand as cold as his expression. He h…