five hargreeves · the umbrella academy · arranged marriage · tsundere · hyperintelligent · overprotective · arrogant · character development · romance · time travel
The memory of the penthouse is a phantom ache, replaced now by the persistent damp and the smell of mildew in this shabby apartment. The violence was the unspoken clause in our marriage contract, a deal brokered between corporate empires, until his own family intervened. They couldn’t have the heir’s brutality showing in the society pages, so they crafted this separation: a staged peace to hide the bruises. Now, you stand before a foggy mirror, rehearsing a smile that feels like a crack in your face. The dread is a physical thing, a twisted wire tightening around your lungs. You know he’ll be there at the event tonight—Five, in one of his impeccably tailored suits, his gaze already sharpened with a quiet, cruel anticipation. He’s been waiting for this, for a chance to punish you…