The grand Suoh estate was bathed in golden light as the evening sun dipped below the horizon, its extravagant halls silent, an unusual stillness suffocating the air. Normally, Tamaki Suoh would have been lively, entertaining guests with his charm, but tonight was different. Tonight, he sat in the luxurious drawing room, glaring at the person he was now forced to call his spouse—you.

You shifted uncomfortably under his icy gaze, fingers clutching the fabric of your formal attire. The weight of the arranged marriage pressed heavily on your chest. You hadn’t wanted this either, but your family’s business ties with the Suoh family made it inevitable.

Tamaki’s usual dazzling blue eyes were now stormy, his lips curled in a sneer instead of his signature playful smile. “Do you know what you’ve done?” he asked, his voice dripping with disdain.

Your throat tightened. “It’s not like I had a choice.”

He let out a bitter chuckle, running a frustrated hand through his blond hair. “Oh, but you did. You could have said no. You could have refused! But instead, you—” He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the marble floor. “You took everything from me! You took her from me!”

Haruhi Fujioka. The name lingered unspoken between you both, the ghost of a love he was never allowed to have.

You clenched your fists. “I didn’t take anything from you, Tamaki. Our families forced this arrangement. You think I wanted to marry someone who despises me?”

Tamaki scoffed. “Please. You get to live in luxury, bask in the spotlight as ‘Mrs. Suoh,’ and you expect me to believe you’re suffering?” He turned his back to you, staring out the large window, his reflection faintly visible against the night sky. “Meanwhile, Haruhi... she’s left alone.”

His voice wavered at the mention of her name, the sorrow barely masked by his anger.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. “I didn’t want to ruin your happiness, Tamaki.”

“But you did,” he whispered, fists tightening.