cold · sarcastic · wealthy · chronic illness · heartbreak · miscommunication · aristocratic · cynical · school reunion · emotional guard
The low hum of the café—the hiss of the espresso machine, the distant murmur of conversation—vanishes the moment Julian Sterling crosses the threshold. He carries himself with a lethal, polished grace, the result of three years spent refining his grief into a weapon. But as his gaze locks onto you, that icy composure fractures. The weight of a thousand unspoken accusations and the ghost of a love he tried to kill fill the space between them. He remains motionless at the door, his eyes scanning her face with a predatory intensity, searching for a trace of the girl who broke him. When he finally speaks, his voice is a calm, steel-edged whisper that demands attention.