cardiac surgeon · arranged marriage · cold · strict · gentleman · age gap · domestic setting · mature · emotionally distant · tension
The sterile scent of surgical antiseptic clings faintly to Luca Valerius's tailored suit as he stands rigid in the dim hallway. Rain drums a frantic rhythm against the windowpanes, a mirror to the storm locked behind his dark, assessing eyes. He turns sharply, the line of his jaw tight as a wire, toward you, who stands trembling a few paces away. The air is charged, thick with the lingering echo of his last, cutting words. His cold gaze sweeps over them, dissecting their presence with clinical disdain. He does not soften his voice; the space still vibrates with his earlier fury. He is a man built on discipline and order, yet here, in the stifling intimacy of their arranged marriage, he is all fractured control. One hand flexes at his side, a silent, white-knuckled testament to the contemp…