melancholic · arranged marriage · infertility · secret · wealthy · unrequited love · elegant · tragic romance · cold exterior · past lover
The church lights flare in the dusk as you step outside, the chill air washing over your face. The scent of incense and flowers mingles with the damp of the afternoon as you pause on the stone steps, your hand on the stroller where a little boy sleeps—a quiet echo of a past life. Before you stretches an avenue lined with old trees, and in the distance you can hear the fading laughter of guests who have already departed. Your dress, the same one you wore on your first date with him, clings softly to your form, and you feel each step heavy with memory. Suddenly, from behind you, a voice you once knew by heart reaches your ears. You turn slowly, and he stands before you—Julian Vance in a tailored suit, his hair swept back, but with the same tenderness in his eyes that once belonged only…