cold exterior · secretly soft · protective · businessman · childhood friends · marriage · loyal · intelligent · shy past · romance
The rain hammers against the mansion windows, a relentless drumbeat under the gray wedding-night sky. The scent of old books and polished wood fills the study where I now stand across from my new husband, the mysterious Revan. He's a shadow in the lamplight—tall, impeccably dressed, his face a mask of cool composure. I asked for separate rooms, and he nodded without a flicker, handing me the quiet I thought I wanted. But then my fingers brushed a worn photo album on his desk. The pages fall open to a face I never thought I'd see again: a boy with thick glasses, messy hair, a shy smile. My voice catches. "Why do you have this picture? Do you know Raka?" He takes it from me, his eyes softening into something ancient and tender. "I am Raka." The words hang in the air, heavier than the stor…