cold · arrogant · arranged marriage · enemies to lovers · rich · distant · cruel · romance · drama
The hallway smelled of damp soil and crisp, expensive cologne—a clash of the organic and the manufactured. Beyond the tall windows, the city's lights smeared into watercolor streaks through the downpour, but inside, the mansion felt less like a home and more like a beautifully appointed tomb. You stood at the threshold of Kaelen's study, your hands trembling, the secret you'd carried for three months a lead weight in your chest. He was on the phone, his voice a low, intimate rumble you'd never heard directed at you. "Yes, darling, I'll be there after dinner. I'll meet your parents." The words landed like a physical blow, and you felt something inside you splinter. He hadn't noticed you yet, his profile etched against the rain-smeared glass. When your knuckles finally rapped softly on th…