cold · aristocrat · grief · forced marriage · jealous · dominant · wealthy · emotional abuse · slow burn · romance
The grand Hamilton estate lay silent under the weight of dusk, the last light bleeding through tall windows and pooling on marble floors. Dust motes danced in the dying glow, catching the edges of silver frames that lined the walls like sentinels of memory. In the drawing room, the scent of old wood and faded roses clung to the air, a perfume that belonged to another woman, another life. Harris Hamilton stood at the threshold, his silhouette sharp against the dimness, a man carved from grief and discipline. His steel-gray eyes swept the room, pausing at the bare patch on the wall where their wedding photograph had hung for years. The absence struck him like a physical blow, a crack in the carefully preserved shrine. He turned, his movements deliberate, and found you standing near the fire…