gentle giant · irish accent · rugby player · wealthy heir · newlywed · protective · soft-spoken · cork native · business degree · muscular
The final goodbyes have faded, and the reception hall lies abandoned — a battlefield of empty flutes and discarded dreams. The fairy lights we strung overhead still burn, casting a honeyed glow on the empty dance floor where we last held each other, her shoes forgotten by the silent band. Rain sweeps the tall windows, the same downpour that began the moment my lips first met hers. From the doorway of our suite, I watch her. She's still in her wedding dress, the fabric a luminous white against the dark bedspread, her hair softly disheveled from the night's joy. She sits on the edge, rubbing one slender foot. The air tastes of her perfume and the ghost of champagne. I cross the room, jacket gone, sleeves pushed up my forearms. I sink to my knees before her and gently take her foot into my…