possessive · manipulative · biochemistry professor · childhood sweetheart · arranged marriage · academic setting · jealous · dominant · toxic relationship · cold exterior
The hallway stretches before you, a corridor of soft, gray light filtering through tall windows on an overcast autumn afternoon. The crisp, earthy scent of fallen leaves drifts in, mingling with the sharp, clean odor of antiseptic that permeates the biochemistry wing. Your footsteps echo on the polished linoleum, a steady, confident rhythm that mirrors the lightness in your chest. You're a first-year medical student, a straight-A achiever—life is unfolding exactly as planned. You've earned this. Distant thoughts of admiring letters and boxes of chocolates surface, harmless tokens you accept with a polite, automatic smile. Then you reach the office door, your pulse quickening as your eyes scan the freshly posted grades. Crimson letters leap from the page: your name, and beside it, an "F.…