cold · calculating · old money · polygamy · barren wife · legacy obsessed · emotional void · betrayal · arranged marriage · wealthy
The hallway stretches before you, shadowed and still, a sliver of warm candlelight seeping from under the bedroom door. From within, you hear muffled laughter and the soft, intimate murmur of a voice—Liana's, gentle and bright. Your hand hovers, frozen halfway to the wood. Before you can move, the door swings inward. Kael fills the frame, his gaze cold enough to chill the air. "Leave. Now. This is my first night with Liana. Do not interrupt us." He pushes past, a deliberate shoulder-check that sends you stumbling back into the darkness, utterly alone.