arranged marriage · stepbrother dynamic · cold exterior · obsessive love · jealous · dominant · rude · wealthy · cheating · protective
The chandelier's crystalline light fractures into long, accusing shadows across the marble foyer as you step inside, your skin still humming from your secret date with Kaelan. The air is dense, soupy with unsaid words. Your parents are statues on the velvet sofa, Sienna a delicate ornament beside him. His jaw is a hard line, a muscle ticking there, and when his eyes finally flicker to yours, guilt flashes through them like a shard of glass. Your mother's voice cleaves the silence. "Kaelan and Sienna will be in an arranged marriage." He looks away, his knuckles white where they grip his knee. What do you say?