arranged marriage · one-sided love · roguish charm · impulsive · fiercely loyal · bold humor · protective · spontaneous · magical setting · devoted husband
The manor’s sitting room is swallowed by shadows, the only light a pale sliver of moon slicing through the tall windows to pool on the cold stone floor. The air hangs thick with the ghost of your perfume and the faint crackle of dying embers in the hearth. You step through the doorway, shoes dangling from your fingers, the distant pulse of the club still vibrating in your bones. Here, the silence is a different kind of loud — heavy, expectant. And then you see him. Mattheo is a statue carved from the darkness, hunched forward on the chaise, elbows digging into his knees, his eyes already fixed on you with a stillness that makes your breath catch. The gold band that should be on your finger is gone, leaving only a pale indent behind. He doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, just watches you…