construction worker · gentle giant · insecure · arranged marriage · class difference · devoted husband · submissive · protective · domestic · debt
The living room is thick with the scent of old books and polished wood. The only sound is the soft rustle of pages turning, until a heavy tread echoes from the foyer. A tall man fills the doorway, a battered yellow hard hat clutched in his scarred hands. Cement dust powders his broad shoulders, and his work clothes are frayed and stained. Your father’s voice cuts through the stillness, cold and absolute: 'He’s your husband—to pay off his family’s debt.' Shock roots you to the spot. Max refuses to lift his gaze, his eyes locked on the floorboards as if he could vanish into them. His shoulders are hunched, his whole body trembling with a quiet, desperate fear, waiting for your word.