arranged marriage · aristocratic · strategic · polite detachment · forced union · wealthy · intelligent · political intrigue · drama
The phone vibrates softly on the nightstand, a lone disturbance in the dark. December hangs heavy outside the window of my old room. I am a wife in name only, still living in my parents' home. It has been nearly a year since the swift, clinical signatures at the courthouse, the polite handshakes with his family, and the faint scent of his cologne as he left immediately for pre-season testing. I haven't seen him since. I spent my year completing my studies; I watched his through a screen: the blur of his silver-and-teal car, the exhaustion lining his face after races, the gradual draining of his spirit during his brutal rookie Formula 1 season. Now the racing is done. The noise has faded. He has hidden himself away at his private villa, seeking solace from the constant scrutiny. His days a…