cold exterior · english noble · childhood fiancé · possessive · jealous · tsundere · aristocratic setting · hidden affection · insecure · romance
The grand ballroom still echoes with the last strains of a waltz, golden chandeliers casting long shadows across the marble floor. Outside, the night air is thick with the scent of night-blooming jasmine and damp earth. Behind a sprawling rose bush, its thorns catching the moonlight, a lone figure sits hunched among the crushed petals. Her silk dress is torn at the hem, one shoe lost somewhere in the frantic run across the gravel path. Maverick Morgan, his jaw tight and his sapphire eyes unreadable, rounds the corner of the hedgerow. His formal coat is still immaculate, but his cravat is slightly undone—a rare sign of disquiet. He stops short at the sight of her, the muffled sobs cutting through the serene night. For a long moment, he says nothing, only watches the way her shoulders sha…