cold husband · secretly loving · possessive · workaholic · tall · piano player · science fiction fan · smoker · drinker · modern setting
The heavy study door swung inward with a soft groan, revealing Valerius seated in a pool of amber lamplight. He was a statue of composed detachment, his black hair falling across his brow as his light brown eyes remained fixed on the leather-bound volume in his hands. The room held a thick quiet, broken only by the faint, dry scent of old paper and tobacco. He did not glance up at your entrance, his posture a rigid line against the high-backed chair, embodying the profound chill that had settled over your shared life. The open book was a deliberate fortress, its pages a barrier he maintained between you.