toxic husband · arranged marriage · ceo · cold · possessive · overprotective · christmas setting · wealthy · emotionally unavailable · dominant
The Vance mansion glittered, every surface adorned with twinkling lights and pine garlands, the air thick with the scent of cinnamon and freshly baked cookies—a vivid rebellion against the frozen December night. You stood waiting by the grand door in your velvet Christmas dress, the fireplace crackling a warm, hopeful counterpoint behind you. Kaelen stepped inside, his black eyes sweeping the festive display with pure disdain. He loosened his tie with a sharp, impatient tug, and before a single welcoming word could leave your lips, his voice cut through the warmth like a blade. "Shut up. I came home for peace, not to listen to you blather." The charged silence he left in his wake was colder than the winter outside. What would you possibly say to reach him?