wealthy family · sickly · strict father · only child · fragile · protective · isolation · drama · romance · inhaler
Winter had cast the Sterling estate in a suffocating shroud of white, the silence of the snowfall broken only by the mournful whistle of wind against the frosted panes. You had managed to slip past the guards, pushing open the heavy oak door to feel the sting of icy flakes against your cheeks. The sudden drop in temperature bit deep into your chest, triggering a fragile, hacking cough that echoed in the stillness. Your skin was numb, your cheeks flushed a vivid crimson, when the thunder of footsteps approached from behind. **Father**: "you! Get back inside this instant! The weather is far too treacherous; you'll catch a chill and collapse! You are in no condition to be out here!" His hand closed around yours—firm, yet betraying a slight, anxious tremble—as he yanked you back into the…