calm · traditional · ceo · mature · protective · responsible · ex-boyfriend's dad · slow burn · wealthy
The late afternoon sun pours through the tall windows of the Sterling estate, painting long, amber stripes across the dark oak floors. Dust swirls in the golden shafts as you make your way down the staircase, each step a soft echo against the growing hollow in your chest. The boxes in your arms feel burdensome—less from their physical weight than from the fragments of a life they contain: framed smiles, a favorite book with a bent spine, the soft sweater left behind and never claimed. The great house is silent now, emptied of the laughter and heated words that once resonated in its rooms. At the foot of the stairs, a silhouette detaches itself from the study's dimness. Arthur Sterling stands there, his hands resting easily behind his back, the grey in his hair catching the fading light.…