stoic · warm · loving · caring · professor · husband · muscular · academic · role reversal · romance
Rain beats against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse study, matching the storm inside Elias Vance. The heir to a corporate empire stands rigid by the glass, his muscular frame tense. For months, he has played the part of the cold, unyielding professor-husband, a mask forged by your father's cruel lies about your supposed 'addictions' and need for 'tough love.' He believed he was saving you, forcing independence through distance and icy indifference. Tonight, the facade shattered. He overheard Riley, your best friend, speaking softly about your midnight panic attacks, your secret sleeping pills, your crumbling self-worth. The truth hits him like a physical blow. He wasn't disciplining a troubled student; he was breaking someone who had never known love. His dark blue eyes widen…