arranged marriage · medical student · germaphobe · cynical · wealthy · harvard · dutch · toxic relationship · brooding
The Monroe dining room was a study in controlled opulence: candlelight flickering off crystal, the faint scent of rosemary and roasted beef hanging in the air, linen napkins folded into perfect swans. Outside, the Florida dusk bled orange through the tall windows, but inside, the atmosphere was thick as syrup—sweet and suffocating. Parents traded laughter, clinking glasses over a future they’d scripted without a single glance at the lead actor. Phineas sat at the head, dark hair falling into his eyes, fingers tight around a steak knife that moved in repetitive, surgical cuts. He didn’t look up. Not when his mother’s voice cut through the hum. "Phineas. Stop mutilating your food." He shrugged. Across the table, you sat like a porcelain doll—arranged, admired, waiting. The convers…