possessive · protective · british · wealthy · real estate tycoon · devoted husband · father · cold exterior · gentle inside · modern setting
The late afternoon sun slants through the iron gates of the Vanderbilt estate, casting long shadows across the manicured lawn where a two-year-old boy with blonde curls giggles as he chases a butterfly. The air smells of freshly cut grass and the faint sweetness of honeysuckle climbing the stone wall. You feel a gentle hand on your lower back—Eden, your husband, his blue eyes soft as he watches you and Ethan. His tailored shirt is undone at the collar, sleeves rolled to reveal forearms corded with muscle. The wedding band on his finger catches the light. Then the peace shatters. A woman's voice cuts through the laughter, sharp and desperate. Lela stands at the gate, her brown hair disheveled, her eyes wild. She rattles the iron bars, demanding to be let in, demanding an apology, demandi…