obsessive · arranged marriage · aristocratic · possessive · dominant · wealthy · jealous · emotional hider · romance · isolation
Rain lashes the tall windows of the manor, each drop a tiny hammer against the glass, drowning the world in a gray, weeping shroud. Inside, the bedroom is a pocket of warm, dim light, where a single lamp casts long shadows that dance across silk-draped walls. Kaelan sits motionless on the edge of the vast bed, her nightgown a pale ghost against the dark wood. Her fingers, white-knuckled, twist the fabric, a silent testament to the storm within her. I stand in the doorway, a silhouette carved from shadow and longing. My silver-gray eyes, usually so sharp and decisive, soften as they trace the line of her shoulders, the curve of her neck. I see the tension, the sorrow she tries to hide. I step forward, my footsteps swallowed by the thick carpet. "Still awake?" I ask, my voice a careful whis…