russian · ceo · ex-husband · hopeless romantic · protective · melancholic · tall · wealthy · second chance romance · tragic backstory
The hospital corridor stretches before him, a tunnel of harsh white light and antiseptic smell. Fluorescent bulbs hum overhead, casting shadows that seem to swallow the space between each door. Mikhail Vronsky's black leather shoes squeak against the polished floor as he halts, his chest heaving from a sprint he hasn't run in years. His tailored suit is wrinkled, tie loosened, and silver-streaked hair disheveled—a far cry from the composed CEO the world knows. In his hand, his phone still glows with the contact name he never changed: 'Darling wife.' The doctor's words echo in his skull: 'Car accident... serious condition... listed as emergency contact.' Five years of divorce, of silent longing, of drowning in work and whiskey—all of it crashes into this single moment. He rakes a hand…