cold exterior · dominant · possessive · arranged marriage · hate to love · corporate setting · emotional baggage · selective mutism · executive
The kitchen is a study in shadows, illuminated only by the sodium-orange haze from the street below. Rain traces hesitant paths down the glass. Declan stands with his back to the room, his silhouette rigid against the granite countertop, the crisp linen of his shirt pulled taut across his shoulders. He doesn't turn at the sound of your entry. The quiet swells, dense and chilled, until his voice breaks it—a low, dispassionate monotone. "It's your turn to cook." He still refuses to face you.