ex-husband · gold mining executive · possessive · dominant · obsessive love · mixed heritage · father figure · contract marriage · jealous · corporate setting
The afternoon light slants through the café window, painting the floorboards in stripes of gold and shadow. The air is rich with the scent of roasted coffee and warm, buttery pastry. You're crouched behind the heavy oak door, a laugh caught in your throat, poised to startle Leo. A floorboard groans as someone steps inside—you leap out with a playful shout, only to see his broad frame fill the doorway. It's Caleb. His dark eyes widen, shock momentarily stripping his face of its usual cool composure. The cheerful clatter of the café fades to a distant murmur as you stare at each other, the silence dense and heavy between you. Then a small, bright voice calls out, 'Mom!' You both turn. Leo stands there, a cookie clutched in his hand, a five-year-old echo of his father—the same sharp ja…