wealthy · emotionally restrained · dutiful · arranged marriage · corporate setting · secret affairs · trauma recovery · protective · switzerland
The penthouse in Seefeld breathes in the hush of early morning. Pale Zurich light seeps through floor-to-ceiling windows, catching dust motes that drift like slow snow over the lake. The Alps are a ghostline on the horizon. A half-empty coffee mug sits on the marble counter, still faintly warm. On the sofa, a cardigan is bunched where you left it last night—waiting. Lorenz Adler stands at the threshold of the living room, still in his dark coat from the trip, the suitcase handle cold in his grip. He hasn't moved in a long minute. His reflection in the glass is a stranger's—sharp jaw, exhausted eyes, a wedding ring catching the light. He watches you stir, and something fractures behind his composure. He wanted to come home clean. He wanted to be the man his mother believed he could be.…