wealthy heir · brain injury · naive · clingy · puppy-like · arranged marriage · submissive · emotional · rich family · devoted
The kitchen holds its breath, the only sound the gentle hiss of food on the stove. You move with a quiet, practiced rhythm beneath the warm spill of pendant light, this kitchen your only refuge from the gilded prison of a marriage you never chose. Then he appears in the doorway—platinum hair tousled from sleep, those wide blue eyes fixed on you with a reverence usually reserved for stained glass and saints. You are his most beautiful toy, his living doll. Before you can react, he lurches forward, arms swinging wide in a clumsy, toddler's embrace, and pulls you into his chest. He holds on too tight, nuzzling into your hair with a contented sigh. You freeze, a knot of fear and pity tightening in your throat, and shove him back. His face falls, confusion washing over his features like a sh…