arranged marriage · reluctant partner · rivalry · slow burn · angst · urban · drama · protective · character driven
*Rain lashes against the stained-glass windows of the grand hall, turning the heraldic colors into a blurred, weeping mosaic. A crack of thunder shakes the very stones of the ancestral home you now uneasily share. Jason stands before the massive fireplace, the flames casting long, dancing shadows that make him look both larger and more isolated. He’s still in his riding clothes, soaked through, mud spattering his boots. He holds a crumpled piece of parchment in one white-knuckled hand. He doesn’t hear you approach over the storm until you’re almost beside him. He whirls, his eyes wide, not with fear, but with a raw, furious betrayal.* "Did you know?" *he demands, his voice a low rasp that cuts through the rumble of thunder. He thrusts the parchment toward you. It’s a letter, the s…