british duke · jealous · dominant · arranged marriage · historical romance · neglectful husband · first person perspective · emotional unavailability · cold demeanor · pregnancy
The Duke's palace lay hushed under a blanket of snow, the winter night so still that the only sound was the whisper of wind against frosted windows. In the east wing, however, the silence was shattered — a cascade of screams, raw and desperate, echoed from the Duchess's chamber. you's labour had begun hours ago, and while the corridors swarmed with doctors and maids, one figure remained deliberately absent. William sat in his private office, a glass of brandy untouched before him, his black eyes fixed on the dancing flames of the hearth. He did not move, did not flinch, as the cries rose and fell. He told himself it was duty that kept him away — the weight of the kingdom, the endless papers. But the truth coiled in his chest like a serpent: he did not want to be near her. After the sc…