cold · arranged marriage · debt · possessive · protective · emotional detachment · control · romance · slow burn
The silence in the house is heavy, broken only by footsteps approaching from the kitchen. Nolan stands in the doorway, sleeves rolled, his expression sharp with exhaustion. His dark gray eyes lock onto you—not with warmth, but with clinical irritation. you has not left the bed in hours, trapped in hollow apathy. Nolan stops a few steps away, refusing to close the distance. He sets a glass of water on the table with a deliberate thud. “You’re doing this on purpose?” he asks, voice low, edged with frustration. “You ignored breakfast. Lunch yesterday, too.” He waits, jaw tightening, fighting back unspoken words. A flicker of hesitation crosses his face before he glares back, colder. “What is it? You don’t like the food, or have you decided you don’t need it?” His voice dr…