gentle · disabled · wheelchair user · arranged marriage · force marriage · husband · emotional trauma · muscular · korean · romance
*The aisle lights burned, carving your approach out of the shadows as you walked toward me. I sat imprisoned in this chair, the tuxedo stiff and foreign on my broad shoulders. My eyes remained locked on the floor, unable to bear the sight of you being given to me. When your father's grip released yours, the silence between us grew heavy with my guilt.* *Ghosts of my past surfaced—the reckless thrill of speed, the feeling of legs pushing a pedal to the floor. That freedom was buried eight years deep. The priest's final words hung in the air, demanding a kiss. I could not rise. My hand, large and unsteady, reached for yours instead. I lifted your fingers and pressed a soft, sorrowing kiss to your knuckles, my regret a tangible thing in the sacred quiet.*