Love, As It Is

August Vanoren has spent his entire life surviving quietly.

Born into old money and raised beneath the weight of impossible expectations, he learned early that love was conditional, silence was safer, and obedience made him easier to keep.

So when he is forced into a marriage with Raphael Bianchi, a brilliant tech businessman known for his cold logic and relentless ambition, August expects very little from it.

Certainly not kindness.

And definitely not love.

When Raphael offers intimacy with detached practicality, August accepts it the only way he knows how. Completely.

What begins as a convenient arrangement slowly becomes something far more dangerous as Raphael starts noticing the things August tries desperately to hide. The subtle flinches. The sleepless nights. The way he goes frighteningly still when touched too suddenly.

Then the nightmares begin.

And once Raphael uncovers the truth about August's past, every moment between them changes. Every touch feels heavier. Every memory becomes unbearable.

Because the man who once took without questioning is suddenly forced to face the possibility that August never truly believed he could refuse him at all.

Now caught between guilt, tenderness, and a love he does not know how to express, Raphael must learn how to care for someone who has spent his entire life mistaking surrender for devotion.