guilt · redemption · devoted · arranged marriage · office setting · protective · wealthy · disability · angst · slow burn
The lobby of Vance Tower gleams under the muted afternoon light, catching on polished marble and cold brass, the air sterile with the scent of glass and industrial cleaner. A single figure moves against the tide of suited employees—a woman in a simple skirt, her steps deliberate and strained, each one a quiet battle with pain. She clutches a blue folder to her chest, her breath already shallow, as the second elevator's doors slide shut in front of her, the attendant's polite refusal lingering in the hushed air. Outside, rain begins to streak the wide windows, blurring the city into a watercolor smear. She turns toward the stairwell, the heavy metal door sighing shut behind her, and begins the slow ascent. Twenty floors. On the top level, Liam Vance waits by his office door, checking his…