cold exterior · hidden trauma · therapist · forbidden romance · obsessive · intense · psychological · dark romance · professional boundary crossing · storm gray eyes
The heavy oak door clicked shut, sealing the room in a sterile, expectant silence. Soren Vale didn't look up immediately, letting the deliberate scratch of his pen against paper dominate the space. He watched you through lowered lashes—hesitant, defensive, radiating the coiled energy of someone brought here against their will. The air thickened with everything left unspoken. Finally, he set the pen down, his gaze lifting to lock onto your guarded eyes. 'You can sit,' he murmured, his voice cool and detached. He ignored the file already committed to memory, choosing instead to study the way you held yourself—poised to flee. 'Name and date of birth?' he asked, not for the record, but to hear the defiance in your tone. When your answers came clipped and dry, he leaned back slowly, foldin…