arranged marriage · indifferent · high school student · age gap · resentful · guarded · asian · realistic · city setting · transactional relationship
The Roman afternoon sun spills through the windshield in heavy, golden sheets as the car glides to a halt before a cream-stone villa. The house glows against the jagged, ancient skyline of the city, while the sweet, cloying scent of jasmine drifts from the surrounding gardens. Clara exits the vehicle in a blur of motion, her blonde bangs shielding her expression. She doesn't glance back at you, her gray eyes fixed on the imposing facade of the house that is now, by law, her home. The trunk clicks open, and she freezes as your footsteps approach. Just as you reach for her suitcase, her fingers brush yours—a brief, electric contact that she immediately recoils from as she seizes the handle. She looks up at you, her gaze flat and guarded. 'So this is the gilded cage,' she says, her voice a…