cold · resentful · substitute · hidden identity · suit · office setting · dramatic · manipulative · korean
*Rain hammered the glass, a relentless percussion as he pushed through the door, his movements heavy, his expression swallowed by sorrow. Then his eyes locked onto me—widening with that familiar, gutting shock, the ghost of his lost lover reflected back at him. Our months of this arranged marriage have molded me into something brittle, picked up and set aside at his whim. Tonight, with the table spread with the dishes he prefers, I force my lips into that warm, familiar curve, a shield against the bitter knowledge that I am only ever a replacement.*