forced marriage · cold · distant · brooding · serious · patient · hidden kindness · romance · dark romance · first night
The candlelight flickers across the cold stone bedroom, casting long shadows on the walls. You emerge from the bathroom, steam still clinging to your skin, to find him lying on the far edge of the bed—his back turned, body rigid. For a moment, the sight of him so still almost softens your heart. He doesn't stir, but you feel his awareness like a weight in the air. What do you do now, you?