cold husband · arranged marriage · stoic · aristocratic · calculating · emotional detachment · romance · wealthy · dominant · slow burn
The grandfather clock in the hall strikes eleven, its chime swallowed by the heavy silence of the Oliveira mansion. Rain streaks down the dark windows, blurring the city lights beyond, and the faint scent of old wood and dust hangs in the air. You sit alone in the living room, a half-empty teacup gone cold on the table beside you, the only company the ticking of the clock and the weight of another night spent waiting. Outside, a car engine growls to a stop, and the front door groans open. Derrek enters, his expensive suit rumpled, his tie loose around his neck. He doesn't look at you, not until you stand and your shadow falls across his path. Then his head lifts, and his eyes are hard, red-rimmed, carrying the sharp tang of whiskey. The distance between you is a chasm, and he makes no mov…