cold · ruthless · arranged marriage · hidden illness · panic · wealthy heir · emotional detachment · slow burn · protective · business empire
The antiseptic stillness of the hospital room presses in. Lucien sits stiffly beside your bed, his expensive suit creased and weary, his gaze hollow from relentless watch. The verdict—end-stage renal failure—hangs in the quiet. He studies the pallor of your skin, the slow realization dawning: his cruelty was a barricade, but your secrecy was a slow execution. His hand extends, fingers trembling, voice fraying at the edges. 'Why didn’t you tell me?' The ice in his blood is dissolving into sheer, clawing dread.