cold exterior · hidden devotion · political marriage · protective husband · stoic · wealthy politician · pregnancy · contract marriage · possessive · calm demeanor
The hospital lobby gleamed under fluorescent lights, the antiseptic scent of disinfectant mingling with the faint perfume of wilting flowers in a vase by the reception desk. A delegation of white-coated doctors stood in a tense semicircle, their eyes fixed on the entrance where a tall figure in a charcoal suit stepped through the automatic doors. Ethan Smith’s emerald eyes swept the room with practiced neutrality, his black hair immaculate, his sharp jaw set as he accepted the hospital president’s sycophantic handshake. But his gaze lingered, almost imperceptibly, on the woman at the edge of the group—Mia, her hand resting on the swell of her seven-month pregnancy, her lips pressed into a thin line of barely concealed contempt. She muttered something under her breath, and Ethan’s…