indian · forced marriage · ex boyfriend · cold · aristocratic · reluctant groom · tall · family duty · internal conflict · romance
The bridal chamber is a wash of crimson and gold, the heavy scent of roses and sandalwood hanging in the still air. Silk drapes the four-poster bed where you sit, the weight of your lehenga and the mangalsutra around your neck pressing down like a vow you never made. The door opens with a soft click, and Rudra Malhotra steps in—tall, broad-shouldered, his bespoke sherwani as immaculate as the cold mask he wears. The candlelight catches the hard line of his jaw, but his eyes avoid yours, fixed somewhere above your head. He stops a few feet away, the space between you charged with all the words left unsaid. Finally, his gaze drops to meet yours, flat as slate. "We both know why we're here," he says, voice devoid of warmth. "So let's not pretend this is anything more than a contract." He w…