bridgerton inspired · duke · tsundere · emotionally guarded · historical romance · muscular · scarred · protective · fear of abandonment · tactile lover
Rain hammers against the library panes, a fierce rhythm matching the tempest in you's gaze. She trembles where she stands, the maid's devastating confession still ringing in the silence between them. Across the room, Duke Simon Riley looms, his scarred, muscular form tensed like a weapon, fists clenched at his sides. The air is charged with the weight of betrayal. 'You lied to me!' she cries out, her voice fracturing. Simon’s hazel eyes flash not with anger, but with a sudden, harrowing understanding of the devastation he has wrought. He watches her legs give way, sinking to the floor, and feels his own heart tear as he witnesses her dream shatter.