LONELY HEARTS
Esmé's life takes a dramatic turn when she becomes entwined with Eiser, a son from a powerful family. Haunted by loss and trapped in a loveless marriage, she battles to connect with a man who conceals his emotions behind a wall of sile...
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BREAKING THE ICE
“Silence remains, inescapably, a form of speech.” — Susan Sontag
The silence that followed Eiser's absence was almost unbearable, and Esmé found herself growing restless, her thoughts consumed by the question of where he had gone and why he hadn't returned sooner.
But tonight, everything changed.
The sound of tyres crunching against gravel outside signalled his arrival, and Esmé's heart skipped a beat.
She knew it was him.
She stood in the hallway, her gaze fixed on the door as she waited. There was a strange anticipation and uncertainty in the air that she couldn't shake off.
The mansion seemed to hold its breath in the moments leading up to his return.
When the door to the entrance finally opened, Eiser stepped inside.
His sharp features were shadowed in the dim light, but the air around him still seemed to hum with the same intensity it always had.
He was dressed in dark clothing, his coat slightly wrinkled, but his posture was as rigid and controlled as ever as he walked up to the grand staircase.
As soon as his presence was in the hallway, Esmé's fingers tightened around the edge of her bedroom doorframe, she called out to him.
"Eiser."
His name left her lips quietly, almost as if she had been holding her breath.
He paused for a brief moment, his back still turned to her. There was no sign of surprise in his movements, no indication that he had even heard her.
But then he slowly turned to face her, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"Tomorrow," he said flatly, his voice with finality.
Esmé's stomach tightened, her chest aching with frustration and disappointment.
She had hoped for more, for a conversation, for some kind of explanation but instead, she was met with his indifference.
"Tomorrow?" she repeated as if to confirm that was all he was willing to offer.
Eiser's gaze lingered on her for a moment, but it was brief, almost like a passing thought. He didn't step closer.
"Yes," he replied, his tone still nonchalant. "I'm tired."
Without another word, he turned and walked toward his office. Esmé stood frozen in place, her heart sinking as she watched him go.
The door to his office creaked open, and he stepped inside, closing it softly behind him.
