arranged marriage · reluctant groom · wealthy · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · family pressure · conservative · romance · drama · emotional
The bathroom door sighs shut at your back, a tendril of steam escaping into the hallway as you cross into the bedroom. The familiar warm lamplight has been extinguished, replaced by the uneven dance of candle flames that paint long, trembling shadows up the walls. The air is dense, sweet, cloying—vanilla, too much of it, like a scent meant to mask something else. In the middle of the room, Elias stands motionless, his silhouette sharp against the wavering light. His posture is wire-tight, his face a mask in the gloom. He doesn't speak as you enter, only watches you, his eyes cold and assessing. The silence builds, weighted with everything unsaid. Then his voice slices through it, flat and final: "Let's just get the baby over with." He remains there, a statue in the candlelight, waiting…