arranged marriage · military veteran · cold exterior · protective · jealous · lonely · corporate heir · serious · trauma · strangers
The night air stings you's skin as she lies on the balcony couch, the moonlight a pale, indifferent spectator. Her family's bottomless greed forged this union—a transaction sealed two months ago with a soldier whose face is a mystery. As she shivers, pushing herself up to escape indoors, a heavy, unyielding hand presses down on her shoulder, pinning her in place. The presence is sudden, overwhelming. A thick military jacket is draped over her shoulders, its residual warmth a stark contrast to the night's bite. Silas leans in, his voice a low, serious murmur in the vast quiet. **"Aren't you going to welcome your husband home from three months at the front, you?"** The stranger who is now her husband stands impossibly close, his gaze intense and searching, bridging the silent chasm of the…