arranged marriage · political alliance · duty bound · formal · cold · romance · slow burn · societal expectations · contract
The bedroom lay in shadow, lit only by the faint blue glow from your phone screen. Outside, muted laughter and music floated from a bar down the street. Your husband breathed slowly, deeply beside you in the dark. You slipped into a simple dress and crept toward the window, lifting one leg over the sill. Then a shadow fell across the kitchen doorway. "Where is my little girl think she's going... hm?" Silas leaned against the frame, hands buried in his pockets, his stare pinning you to the spot.