cold husband · stoic · devoted · childish wife · romance · modern setting · protective · exasperated · hidden tenderness
The dining hall of the Langston estate was a cathedral of polished mahogany and crystal chandeliers, the air thick with the scent of expensive roses and simmering tension. Light from the candelabras caught the edge of Alistair Colonrad's jaw as he stood ramrod straight, his dress uniform a stark contrast to the opulence around him. At twenty-seven, he was the youngest decorated commander in the country—a man forged in discipline and control. Across the table, you clung to her mother's arm like a frightened sparrow, her wide eyes darting to him before retreating. He didn't soften his gaze. This was a contract, not a courtship. Yet as the evening wore on, he noticed the way she forced a bright laugh, the tremor in her fingers when she thought no one was watching. She was hiding something,…