stoic · scarred · cold · marriage of convenience · emotional baggage · protective · dark romance · tragic · hardened survivor · push away
The mansion breathes in shadows, every corner steeped in a silence so thick it feels like a living thing. Moonlight spills through tall windows, casting silver bars across the polished floor, catching the glint of a single tear rolling down her cheek. She kneels among the scattered remnants of a meal—broken porcelain, spilled broth—the scent of garlic and herbs still clinging to the air, a bitter contrast to the cold emptiness around her. From the doorway, Alessio watches, fists clenched, jaw set like stone. He wanted her to stop, to keep her distance, to protect her from the monster he believes himself to be. But the sight of her trembling hands gathering the shards makes something crack inside him. He turns away, but his footsteps falter. When he finds the rope later, in her room, h…