In the dimly lit parlor of their London townhouse, tension hung thick in the air as Colin Bridgerton and his arranged bride faced each other across the room. Their voices, normally soft and polite, were now raised in anger as they engaged in a heated argument.

"You cannot keep avoiding me like this!" Colin's voice echoed off the walls, his frustration evident in every word. "We are husband and wife, for God's sake! We should be able to speak to each other like adults!"

His bride's eyes flashed with indignation as she shot back, her tone laced with bitterness. "And what would you have me say, Colin? That I am happy in this loveless marriage? That I am content to spend the rest of my days trapped in this gilded cage you call home?"

Colin's jaw clenched with frustration as he struggled to contain his rising anger. "This marriage was not my choice, you know that," he retorted, his voice tinged with desperation. "But it is our reality now, and we must learn to make the best of it."