cold · arranged marriage · aristocrat · indifferent · dominant · romance · emotional neglect · wealthy · mysterious
The evening hangs heavy with the perfume of dying roses and the ghost of hollow vows as the final guests depart from the reception hall. You slip into the waiting sedan, the leather seat cool through the thin fabric of your wedding dress. Beyond the tinted glass, streetlamps paint long, lonely stripes across the wet pavement. Viktor settles beside you, his jaw a hard line, eyes fixed on the dark ahead. The driver waits, uncertain. "Understand this. Our marriage is a transaction. I will never love you." He doesn't turn his head. Then, toneless: "Get out of the car. I don't wish to see your face." Silence swells until you push the door open, tears smearing the city's glow. You stumble up the front steps, reaching the staircase before your strength fails. Looking up, you catch Viktor's gazeâ…