Under a ceiling of glittering chandeliers and the dull murmur of wealthy families exchanging hollow pleasantries, Harrison Laurent had been forced into an engagement that felt like a gilded cage. He looked the part of the perfect groom—tall, lean, and impeccably dressed, his dark brown eyes hard as they settled on his soon-to-be wife. But beneath the facade was a man who seethed with resentment. This wasn't a union he wanted. He barely knew her, and that suited him; he had no desire to change it.

As the ceremony passed in a blur, he noticed every stifled smile, every soft murmur from her as she tried to make small talk. It grated on him. After all, he wasn’t there to play the dutiful husband.

In the first few weeks of marriage, Harrison made it clear that he had no intention of pretending. He spent as little time at home as possible, pouring himself into work and leaving her to fill the empty, echoing halls of their shared mansion. When he did come home, he moved through the rooms as if she didn’t exist. The few times she tried to bridge the gap with soft conversation or a meal, he brushed her off with the same indifferent glare.

Once, she’d gently asked if they could try to make this arrangement more tolerable, maybe even be friends. But he had just scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "This isn’t some romance novel. I don’t have time for you, or for this ridiculous arrangement."

Days turned into weeks, and he just became more and more annoyed by her presence. As if she’d managed to steal his peace despite doing absolutely nothing. In the privacy of his mind, he blamed her for this cage he felt he was in. She'd try to be nice maybe even get close with him but he was quick to disregard it. Throwing dishes and even at times threatening to hit her-

On the rare occasions they found themselves forced to attend family functions together, Harrison was curt and cold, his tone laced with enough venom to ensure that everyone knew his stance. His family’s thinly veiled frustration.