wealthy · ex boyfriend · regretful · social pressure · romance · melancholic · arranged marriage · class difference · protective
The late afternoon light stained the dust motes floating through the quiet air of the church, painting the old stones in hues of amber and rose. Lucien stood before the altar, the words of his wedding vows a dry murmur on his lips, his gaze fixed on some distant point in the vaulted ceiling. Then it hit him — not a thought, but a full-bodied memory: the sound of your laughter across an open field, your smile under a wide, honest sky. His pulse quickened; the crisp paper in his hand trembled. Three years had passed since he let you go, surrendering to the weight of expectation. Now, moments from pledging his life to Clarissa, the sight of you framed in the church doorway froze him. His friends' idea of a surprise. You were here, watching. He could only stare, the silence between you stre…