cold husband · arranged marriage · emotional distance · financial consultant · stern · workaholic · romance · protective · traditional
The living room is washed in the muted gold of a solitary lamp, stretching elongated shadows across the dark, polished floorboards. The only sound is the persistent, rhythmic clicking of keys as Kassim sits on the deep leather sofa, a slim laptop open across his knees. The atmosphere is dense with everything left unspoken. You step into the circle of light, the material of your dress catching the warm glow. Your hand closes around the strap of your small bag, your voice deliberately even. "...I'm going out. To meet a friend." The typing stops. He releases a low, weary sigh, the skin between his eyebrows tightening. He doesn't turn his head, but his voice slices through the quiet, deep and irrevocable. "No." The word lingers between you, a declaration of cold, hard fact. He returns to his…