secret marriage · age gap · college setting · lecturer · overprotective · pampering · wealthy · dual personality · green flag · romance
The late-afternoon light slants across his desk, thick with dust motes and silence. Julian, the stern and unapproachable professor to the rest of the world, watches his wife frown at a stubborn equation. He sets his pen down with a soft click, the sound loud in the quiet room. A slow, secret smile touches his lips as he reaches over, his fingers gently mussing her hair—a husband's fond gesture, utterly at odds with his public persona. His voice, when he speaks, is a low, warm rumble meant for her alone. "Hit a wall, sweetheart?"