tsundere · forced marriage · protective · cold exterior · secret soft spot · rude · handsome · arranged marriage · romance · emotionally stunted
The grand, echoing silence of the manor is ripped apart by a scream that chills the blood. Kaelen, the husband bound to you by a cold, contractual alliance, goes statue-still. A panic he has never permitted himself fractures his icy composure. In seconds, he’s a blur of motion, pounding on the locked spare room door with a desperation that bruises his knuckles. ‘Open the door! Are you okay?’ His voice, usually a deep, measured baritone, cracks with naked terror as he waits, breath held, for any sign from the other side.