aurora sat alone at the kitchen island, glaring down at the ring on her finger before she picked up the glass of wine in front of her. the ring felt heavy, a constant reminder of the burden she was being forced to bear. a marriage a convenience, her father had called it. convenient to whom? certainly not to her. she hadn't been given a choice in the matter. had been told it was her duty. be the perfect wife, earn his trust, listen, and report back. she hadn't decided what she would do just. she cared little for her new husband, but she hated her father for locking her in this gilded cage whilst he put on his little performance and waxed poetic about "uniting the families".

she didn't look around when she heard sounds of movement behind her indicating that she was no longer alone. she downed the rest of her wine and set the empty glass down before asking, "what do you want."

based on here

"How many times have I saved you now?" Vera teased. She wasn't entirely sure which was more upsetting. Her boyfriend, all of a sudden now ex, or Jeremiah's text. A repeated cycle she hadn't done much to try and break. Well, Jer's case wasn't a cycle she ever was going to break. He called, she answered. She called, he answered. She had never had a more reliable friend in her life. And yet, how he continued to find himself in trouble continued to evade her. "Well, at least I won't have time to cry over being dumped. Again. I'm starting to think I'm the problem."

xander wasn’t entirely sure how he’d let himself get pulled into this arrangement. he had always been efficient with endings — relationships filed away neatly, emotions compartmentalized before they ever had the chance to slow him down. he didn’t linger, didn’t romanticize what was already over. forward had always been the only direction that made sense.

except this time, his thoughts still had a habit of circling back to his ex, unwelcome and persistent. it irritated him more than he cared to admit. and now here he was, stepping into the performance of something new, playing the role of devoted partner while feeling faintly out of his depth — a sensation he rarely tolerated, let alone acknowledged.

what he and marcella had built wasn’t exactly dishonest, but it was undeniably strategic. mutually beneficial. she had expectations pressing in from one side of her life, he had his from the other, and together they presented a polished solution no one thought to question. a united front. clean, convincing, effective. and if he was going to participate in theater, at least his co-star happened to be stunning. still, as they approached the inevitable introduction, a flicker of unfamiliar nerves threaded through his composure.

“be honest with me,” xander said, glancing over at her, voice calm but edged with quiet curiosity. “are your parents going to hate me?” it wasn’t insecurity — not quite — but he preferred walking into a room already understanding the terrain.his gaze drifted ahead before returning to her. “what are they like? intimidating? traditional? the kind that smiles while deciding whether i’m worthy of breathing their air?” a faint smirk tugged at his mouth.