Responses
To put it bluntly, yes this is romance but it is more than just that and if u r expecting this to be just romance and the focus is on that instead of the complexity of the characters and their situation and how they navigate that, then
As someone who has read the novel myself, I wished people pointed out how both thaila and varka have been objectified, used, and their autonomy have been continuously stripped repeatedly. People are free to dislike the MCs but if u are coming into this story expecting a grand romance tale, then ur in for a rude awakening.
The MCs both have immense trauma that, put it bluntly, communication will not be able to fix its a good starting point, but their whole life they have been objectified and used as pawns by those around them and when they are FINALLY happy and at a good point in their life, those same people who believe they are owed and own Varka and Thalia once again ruin their chance of happiness. Thalia does her best to protect varka and varka likewise does the best he can to protect her. Its crude, and the other does not like the way the other goes about it, but that is to say, these two MCs and those around them as well are EXTREMLY complex characters and are not really ur typical leads. To sum up the future chapters as just "suffering" while may be understandable, I think also does a disservice to the extensive lore and character of Thalia that has developed since.