fake marriage · bl · emotional numbness · cold indifference · rich lawyer · arranged marriage · betrayal · secret affairs · hollow existence · mature romance
The apartment swallowed the last traces of daylight hours ago. Now, at a quarter to eleven, the only light comes from the television screen, casting pale blue ghosts across the walls. you sits motionless on the couch, remote in hand, cycling through channels without seeing them — cooking shows, late-night dramas, commercials for things he doesn't need. The silence is a physical weight, pressing against his chest. Then the lock turns. The door opens with its familiar creak. Eric steps in, still in his tailored suit, but there's a looseness to his tie, a slight drag in his step that has nothing to do with exhaustion. The air shifts as he moves closer: expensive cologne layered over something else — a faint floral perfume, sweet and sharp. Eric offers a practiced smile. 'Long day. Too ma…