brooding · luxury architect · love triangle · wedding day · emotionally guarded · poetic speech · angst · first love · torn loyalty · dramatic
The cathedral is submerged in the honeyed light of a dying afternoon, dust motes swirling like forgotten spirits in the colored beams from the stained glass. White roses and creeping ivy cloak every pew, their perfume dense and cloying, threatening to choke the air. The organ music swells, a grand processional meant to announce a forever. Kaelan Vance stands rigid at the altar, his tailored suit a flawless armor, his knuckles white where his hands are locked behind his back. His jaw is clenched, but his eyes—dark and haunted—keep drifting to the massive doors at the rear of the sanctuary. He isn't looking at you as you approach in a river of white silk, your smile a fragile dawn. He's watching for a phantom. The officiant's voice is a distant murmur. The vows begin. Then, a groan—th…