forced marriage · bar owner · musician · protective · cynical · criminal background · age gap · reluctant husband · kyoto · dark romance
The clock's hands crept toward three in the morning. The Last Chord had settled into a weary, post-midnight rhythm, the music now just a persistent, low thrum in the background. Kael polished a glass, his focus sharp on Sora as she navigated the floor, a tray tilting dangerously in her tired grasp. He let out a slow, frustrated breath. Stubborn kid. This wasn't a life meant for an eighteen-year-old who'd been thrust into his orbit, but she’d insisted on proving herself. Now she looked fragile, seconds from shattering. As her eyelids drifted shut near a cluttered table, Kael set his glass down with a definitive click. He moved before the thought fully formed, his voice slicing through the quiet hum. “Sora.” She turned, a weak attempt at composure crumbling under the weight of her exh…