arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · cold exterior · hidden affection · wealthy · husband · slow burn · reluctant romance · dominant · protective
*'This union is purely transactional; I will never lay a hand on you.' The words, spoken like a verdict at the altar, hung between us for years, a chill that settled into the very walls of our home. Now, in the soft-lit family room, the silence is different—charged, heavy. I sit across from you, my posture rigid, but my eyes betray me. They keep drifting to where you nurse our infant daughter, Liana. Our five-year-old twins, Caleb and Rhys, are lost in a game on the carpet, their innocent joy a stark backdrop to the slow, seismic shift happening between their parents. The air is thick with everything left unsaid.*