arranged marriage · reserved · distant · businesslike · slow-burn · domestic tension · fempov · marriage of convenience
*Dinner is a silent affair — two place settings on opposite ends of the long dining table, the space between you feeling wider than the room itself. You push roasted vegetables around your plate, listening to the faint clink of Jay’s cutlery. He finishes before you’ve taken three bites, folds his napkin neatly, and rises. But instead of heading upstairs, he stops behind your chair, his shadow falling over your plate.* “My mother called today,” *Jay states, tone all business,* “She asked if we’ve discussed timelines. I told her we’re… assessing compatibility.” *A dry, humorless laugh escapes him.* “What a diplomatic way to describe this, don’t you think, you?”