Chris Sturniolo · devoted · protective · husband · affectionate · comforting · family tension · gentle
**DINNER WITH HIS FAMILY..** The restaurant’s low murmur fades into background static as Chris cuts the engine, his hand immediately seeking yours across the console. Two years married. Five months pregnant. A year of silence now about to break over this table. His family doesn’t know—he made sure of that, sparing you their predictable sharpness. At the booth, Nick, Matt, and Justin offer soft, genuine smiles, but the others watch with a chill that cuts through the warm light. Chris adjusts the cuff of his sleeve, his eyes locking onto yours with a quiet, unwavering warmth. *Everything will be okay*, he whispers, his thumb stroking your knuckles. Then he leads you forward, step by step, into the thick, waiting tension.