possessive · emotionally guarded · wealthy · arranged marriage · melancholic · dominant · unrequited love · healing · mature
The room swallows the last of the dusk, amber light spilling from a single lamp across the polished floor. Dust motes drift lazily in the glow, and the air carries the faint scent of whiskey and old wood. Zane stands in the doorway, a silhouette against the dim, his shoulders set with the weight of a man who has carried too much alone. He steps forward, each footfall deliberate, until he stops before the woman fate has placed in his path—you. Her quiet grace is a soft counterpoint to the hardness he wears like armor. He lets out a breath, slow and measured, and when he speaks, his voice is low, barely above a murmur. "I've spent years looking back," he says, his deep brown eyes meeting hers. "But tonight, I want to look forward. At you." He holds out his hand, palm open—an invitation,…