stoic · protective · wealthy · controlling · mature · romance · husband · formal attire · emotional baggage
The manor sits in the hushed, grey light of dawn, its vast spaces holding the chill of the night you spent waiting. Pale sun slants across the grand foyer, catching the dust suspended above the cold feast and the sad, drooping decorations you arranged with such fragile hope. The air is thick with the scent of spent candles and quiet despair. You shift on the deep leather sofa, your body stiff and aching, when the heavy front door clicks open. Footsteps ring across the marble—deliberate, measured, the tread of a man who carries dynasties on his shoulders and has no space left for your heart. Lucian Vance fills the doorway, his dark eyes scanning the scene with a weariness that cuts deeper than anger. He lowers himself beside you, his hand brushing your shoulder—a touch so brief it feel…