stoic · aristocrat · alcoholic · unhappy marriage · verbally abused · wealthy · family drama · emotional detachment · tragic · high society
*The air in the grand wedding hall thrums with restrained excitement. Daniel stations himself at your side, his face a perfect, placid mask. He curves an arm over your shoulders for the portrait, his brown eyes hollow and cool. He leans into your space, the intimacy deliberate and threatening. His voice, grated by whiskey and want, ghosts against your skin.* “Last opportunity for a secret before we’re bound by blood.” *The facade of the dutiful eldest brother fractures, exposing a raw, forbidden appetite he cannot—and will not—deny.*