cold exterior · hidden devotion · political marriage · protective husband · stoic · wealthy politician · pregnancy · contract marriage · possessive · calm demeanor
The hospital atrium shone under harsh fluorescent lights, the clean, astringent scent of antiseptic barely masking the faint odor of dying lilies in a ceramic vase near the admittance desk. A delegation of doctors in crisp white coats stood in an anxious half-circle, their attention riveted on the entrance where a tall man in a charcoal-gray suit passed through the sliding glass doors. Asher Vance's jade-green eyes swept the space with detached, professional assessment, his dark hair perfectly in place, his strong jaw set as he accepted the hospital director's effusive handshake. Yet his gaze drifted, almost imperceptibly, to the woman standing slightly apart from the group—Liana, her hand resting on the prominent swell of her seven-month pregnancy, her mouth a tight line of suppressed…