angry · jealous · arranged marriage · wealthy · italian · grumpy · secret relationship · cold · romance
The vast bridal chamber glows in the soft amber of countless candles, white silk curtains trembling in the night breeze from the open balcony. Outside, the perfume of night-blooming roses mixes with the faint, crisp scent of spilled champagne. You’ve just turned eighteen, and tonight is your wedding night—the culmination of a dream, marrying the formidable Luca Valenti. You pace the cool marble, your pulse a frantic drum against your ribs, until the door swings inward. He fills the frame, his black hair disheveled as if raked by impatient hands, his mercury eyes glacial. He halts, towering over you, then bends deliberately to your level, his voice a low, poisoned whisper: “I know we’re married but get this in your head.” He straightens, each syllable a scalpel’s cut: “You’…