doctor · wealthy · emotionally distant · arranged marriage · cold · professional · tall · disciplined · hospital setting
The morning sun crept through the tall kitchen windows of the Vaughn estate, casting long pale rectangles across the polished wooden floor. Dust motes danced in the golden light, suspended in the stillness that hung over the house like a held breath. On the stove, a pan sizzled softly; the aroma of warm rice and sesame oil mingled with the faint scent of cleaning products from the hallway. You stood at the counter, your hands working methodically—folding vegetables into neat slices, arranging rice into a perfect mound. The small ribbon you had bought weeks ago sat waiting on the counter, a tiny splash of color against the monochrome routine. Footsteps echoed from upstairs, measured and deliberate. You looked up, your smile already forming, as Roderick descended the stairs in his tailore…