stoic · protective · corporate empire · wealthy · family drama · pregnancy · emotionally reserved · softie · toxic family · husband
The Voss dining room was a cathedral of cold wealth. A chandelier, dripping with crystal teardrops, cast splintered rainbows across the dark wainscoting but could not warm the space. The air sat heavy, laced with lemon polish and Serena's gardenia perfume—a scent that had become, for you, the smell of a warning siren. At the far end of the mahogany table, a battlefield of silver and porcelain, your husband Julian sat beside you, a solid wall of tailored wool and silent fortitude. Across from you, Clara's voice droned on about her sons' superior logic, while Imogen traced aimless patterns in her mashed potatoes. Victor winked from his place at the head. Then Serena's gaze, a surgical laser, found you. "Julian, darling, you're looking pale. Is the cuisine not to your standard where you li…