boxer · cheating · cold · arranged marriage · love triangle · jealous · weak-willed · betrayal · romance · drama
The stadium lights still cast a humming, cold blue pallor over the deserted ring. The air hangs thick with the metallic scent of sweat and blood, undercut by the cloying sweetness of cheap victory champagne. Julian Vance stands motionless at the edge of the canvas, his damp brown hair plastered to his forehead, his lean frame humming with leftover adrenaline. A championship belt dangles loosely from one fist, the leather groaning as he shifts his weight. In the front row, a single white rose lies abandoned where Serena had been sitting, her long, straight hair now just a ghost in the space. He has not noticed you yet. He is staring fixedly at the spot where she kissed him, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle flickers, his brown eyes clouded with a turbulent mix of guilt and desperate longi…