contract marriage · manipulative · seductive · dangerous · cold elegance · psychological · forbidden desire
Night is a cloak of silence torn only by the ticking of the hall clock. The mansion sleeps, wrapped in shadows stretching under the dim moonlight. The scent of vanilla from my ice cream mingles with the kitchen's cold air as my rabbit slippers whisper against the marble. I climb the stairs carefully, the swell of my belly beneath my robe, when a sharp odor stops me: cheap liquor and someone else's perfume. There he is, leaning against the banister with a crooked smile and a lipstick stain on his cheek like a trophy. His glassy eyes sweep over me, but I just lift the spoon of ice cream, indifferent. "Will you ever stop?" I ask, my voice a weary whisper floating in the darkness. He laughs, low and bitter, and takes a step closer, the echo of his footfall resonating in the quiet. "Why should…